Chelsea face Johor Darul Ta'zim in their penultimate pre-season friendly, concluding their tour of Australia and Asia. The match takes place at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Johor, Malaysia, with kick-off at 1pm BST. The Blues are expected to make sweeping changes to their starting line-up after a comfortable win over AC Milan just 24 hours earlier in Indonesia.
Team News and Lineup
Chelsea's starting XI includes Sharman-Lowe in goal, with a back line of Sarr, Tosin, and Anselmino. Quenda and Gittens provide width, while Essugo captains the side from midfield alongside Nicoll-Jazuli. Estevao, Jackson, and Delap lead the attack. Notable absentees from the starting line-up include Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro, who scored twice against AC Milan, but Jamie Gittens and younger talents like Dastan Satpayev and Reggie Walsh are involved.
Pre-Match Comments
Captain Dario Essugo praised manager Xabi Alonso, saying, "In both sides, as a player and as a manager, he's very good. A very good person, very good tactically, and he has helped us a lot." He added, "[Pre-season] is very important to build connection to help each other because some players are here many years, others come now."
Match Updates
Johor Darul Ta'zim, also known as JDT, have won the last 12 Malaysia Super League titles. Early in the match, Chelsea dominated possession, with Jackson playing off the left and Delap in the middle. A change was made before kick-off, with Subuloye coming in for Sarr. The match is being streamed live on CFC+, with expert analysis provided throughout.
