Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have been left out of Chelsea’s squad for their pre-season friendly against Juventus in Hong Kong.
The Blues are looking to bounce back after suffering their first defeat under Xabi Alonso following a late 2-1 loss to 10-man Tottenham in Sydney last weekend.
A strong Chelsea lineup were unable to get the better of Spurs, and they will now face Juventus without two of their key players as Alonso takes precautions over the fitness of Palmer and Colwill.
Palmer, who struggled with a recurring groin injury last season, was pictured doing individual work away from the rest of his team-mates as the Blues hosted an opening training session on Tuesday.
Colwill, meanwhile, was absent from the entire session. The England centre-back only recently returned to fitness after spending the majority of last season out with an anterior cruciate ligament injury sustained during pre-season.
Both issues are believed to be minor, and their absence is said to be precautionary, with Alonso unwilling to risk the pair with three weeks until the start of the Premier League season.
In other news, Alonso has handed a Chelsea debut to new signing Danny Welbeck, while highly rated 16-year-old midfielder Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli starts for the first time.
Mykhailo Mudryk is on the bench as he returns to the Chelsea fold for the first time since November 2024 following a doping ban.
The 25-year-old is attracting loan interest from clubs in England and abroad, but Alonso says he has yet to make a decision on his future.
