Chelsea face AC Milan in Jakarta this afternoon in the first of back-to-back friendlies on their pre-season tour of Asia.
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The bulk of Chelsea’s first-team squad are now back following the World Cup, and Alonso is expected to field a strong team against AC Milan as the new season draws closer. The Blues also face Johor Darul Ta'zim in Malaysia on Sunday.
Robert Sanchez made his return from injury against Juventus. But with young Belgian goalkeeper Mike Penders waiting in the wings, it will be interesting to see who Alonso opts for from the start against Milan as both battle for the No1 jersey.
Alonso will also be anxiously waiting to see if Levi Colwill and Cole Palmer are fit to play after the pair were not risked on another patchy playing surface in midweek.
Results in pre-season are often overstated, and while Alonso will have learned a few lessons, there have also been plenty of positives so far.
Chief among those has been the rise of 16-year-old midfielder Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli, who impressed on his first senior start against Juventus.
The Sydney-born England youth international was selected ahead of both Romeo Lavia and Dario Essugo to partner Moises Caicedo as Alonso put his faith in the Cobham graduate.
Geovany Quenda was another who impressed in an otherwise flat Chelsea performance, with the 19-year-old winger proving he is ready to make an immediate impact following his £40million move from Sporting.
Confirmed team news
Chelsea XI: Sanchez, Palestra, Acheampong, Fofana, Hato, Caicedo, Lavia, Palmer, Joao Pedro, Neto, Welbeck
Subs: Sharman-Lowe, Penders, Sarr, Anselmino, Tosin, Subuloye, Essugo, Nicoll-Jazuli, Watson, Walsh, Satpayev, Quenda, Gittens, Estevao, Mudryk, Jackson, Delap
AC Milan XI: Torriani; Terracciano, De Winter, Pavlovic; Chukwueze, Modric, Comotto, Estupinan; Loftus-Cheek, Leao; Camarda
Subs: Ricci, G. Ramos, Diawara, Nkunku, Fofana, Tomori, Athekame, Odogu, Jashari, Bartesaghi, Vladimirov, Pittarella, Gabbia, Saelemakers, Cisse, Musah
Time and date: 1pm BST on Saturday August 8, 2026
Venue: Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) Stadium, Jakarta, Indonesia
How to watch: CFC+
