Chelsea have confirmed the eleven that will take on Juventus at Kai Tak Sports Park on Wednesday afternoon (UK time), with Xabi Alonso’s selection bearing an unmistakably exploratory complexion. Robert Sanchez starts in goal behind a back four of Marco Palestra, Wesley Fofana, Tosin Adarabioyo, and Jorrel Hato while Moises Caicedo partners academy scholar Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli in a two-man pivot. Behind veteran forward Danny Welbeck, given his first run out in Chelsea colours, Geovany Quenda, Joao Pedro and Jamie Gittens have been deployed.
The most notable absences are Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill, neither of whom is even in the matchday squad. Palmer was pictured doing individual work during Tuesday’s open training session, while Colwill was not pictured at any point during the session. Likewise, Alonso is still without the contingent that went deep in the World Cup, which included British record signing Morgan Rogers and new signing Jordan Henderson.
The afternoon’s most emotive subplot for the club was the presence among the substitutes of Mykhailo Mudryk. The Football Association has recently given the green light for the Ukrainian to play, ending a near two-year exile after a failed drugs test. The potential cameo for him follows a chastening 2-1 defeat against Tottenham in Sydney, which came after a chaotic 6-4 triumph over Western Sydney Wanderers as the Blues look to repair their reputation.
Juventus XI: Ex-Chelsea winger Jeremie Boga in Spalletti’s Hong Kong squad
Luciano Spalletti has responded with a 4-2-3-1 formation with Michele Di Gregorio in goal, in front of a back four of Pierre Kalulu, Federico Gatti, Lloyd Kelly and Zeki Celik. The double pivot is Manuel Locatelli and Douglas Luiz, with Jeremie Boga, Fabio Miretti and Andrea Cambiaso providing the supply line to Arkadiusz Milik. The Polish marksman is leading the charge after the exit of Dusan Vlahovic, who left after his contract expired.
The Bianconeri arrive in Hong Kong with their summer preparations going rather encouragingly, having conceded nothing across three European fixtures. A scoreless draw with Basel was followed by a tight win against Standard Liege and a 2-0 win over Nice, with Douglas Luiz scoring the first in the latter match. Spalletti still does not have Khephren Thuram, and his absence has unintentionally opened a glaring path to redemption for the Brazilian midfielder in Turin.
Boga is an unavoidable curiosity considering the Ivorian spent roughly nine formative years at the Cobham academy after joining Chelsea’s youth structure in 2009. He made just one competitive senior appearance for the Blues, starting during a 3-2 opening-day defeat to Burnley in 2017, before Sassuolo secured his services for a reported €5.5 million in 2018.