Chelsea travels to Indonesia for another pre-season friendly as they face AC Milan on Saturday at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.
Chelsea vs AC Milan – Match preview and team news
- Date: Saturday, 8th August.
- Kick-off: 1pm BST.
- Venue: Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta, Indonesia.
Chelsea team news
Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso faces significant selection dilemmas ahead of the friendly in Jakarta, primarily driven by a heavily depleted squad following the World Cup. A large contingent of first-team regulars—including Enzo Fernández, Reece James, Malo Gusto, Jordan Henderson, Maxence Lacroix, Morgan Rogers, and Valentín Barco—remain entirely unavailable as they build up fitness. On a positive note, Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill are expected to return to action after being rested against Juventus due to minor knocks. Mykhailo Mudryk is also in line for increased minutes, building on his brief substitute appearance which marked his return to football after a 20-month anti-doping suspension. Meanwhile, Trevoh Chalobah has been left out of the touring squad entirely as he edges closer to a permanent transfer away from Stamford Bridge. This leaves room for new signings like Danny Welbeck and young winger Geovany Quenda to push for starting roles.
AC Milan team news
AC Milan manager Rúben Amorim is dealing with notable high-profile absences for this pre-season fixture. Former Chelsea winger Christian Pulisic is officially ruled out, denying him a reunion with his old club due to a persistent thigh injury picked up during his World Cup campaign. Milan will also be without newly signed defender Mario Gila, who is currently sidelined with an injury and will play no part in the match. Despite these setbacks, Christopher Nkunku is fully available and expected to feature prominently after scoring the equalizer against rivals Inter Milan in their previous outing. With a very short turnaround following the intense Milan derby played in Perth, Amorim is heavily tipped to rotate his starting eleven. This tactical shuffle is expected to hand starts to veteran midfielder Luka Modrić and forward Gonçalo Ramos as the Italian side looks to manage player workloads.
Form
Chelsea
Chelsea’s pre-season form is currently stuttering under new manager Xabi Alonso. After kicking off their preparations with a win against Western Sydney Wanderers, the Blues have hit a rough patch. They suffered consecutive losses in their most recent outings, losing a tight encounter to Tottenham Hotspur before falling 1-0 to Juventus in Hong Kong.
AC Milan
AC Milan has displayed resilient but mixed form during their summer tour under Rúben Amorim. The Italian side has played out successive draws against heavy competition. They opened with a high-scoring 2-2 draw against Scottish champions Celtic and followed it up with a hard-fought 1-1 draw against city rivals Inter Milan in Perth, courtesy of a Christopher Nkunku equalizer.
Predicted lineups
Chelsea: Penders; Palestra, Colwill, Acheampong, Palestra; Caicedo, Lavia; Estevao, Palmer, Gittens; Pedro
AC Milan: Torriani; Terracciano, Gabbia, Tomori; Saelemaekers, Fofana, Jashari, Estupinan; Chukwueze, Nkunku; Ramos
How to watch Chelsea vs AC Milan?
You can stream the entire game live exclusively online through CFC+
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