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Chelsea vs Johor Darul Ta’zim: Match preview and team news
09th August, 2026 09:59 AM
Chelsea will continue their busy pre-season campaign on Sunday, August 9, 2026, when they take on Malaysian champions Johor Darul Ta’zim in what will be their second match within 24 hours.
The Blues go into the encounter in high spirits after producing an impressive 3-0 victory over AC Milan earlier on Saturday, August 8, 2026.
Building on Milan victory
Although Chelsea suffered defeats against Tottenham Hotspur and Juventus during their recent pre-season schedule, head coach Xabi Alonso has seen enough encouraging signs from his revamped squad.
Those positive aspects were evident in the convincing victory over Milan, with Chelsea finally taking advantage of the opportunities that had gone begging in their previous matches.
Joao Pedro was once again at the centre of the action, scoring twice to take his tally to five goals during Chelsea’s tour of Australia and Asia. His goals came on either side of half-time, while Moises Caicedo completed the scoring with a superb long-range effort.
Chelsea’s defensive performance was equally encouraging, as Milan failed to register a single effort on target throughout the contest.
However, Alonso is expected to make wholesale changes for Sunday’s match because of the extremely short turnaround between the two fixtures. That will give several squad players an opportunity to impress the manager and strengthen their claims for regular involvement.
After facing Johor Darul Ta’zim, Chelsea will head back to England before concluding their pre-season preparations against Real Sociedad next weekend.
Johor Darul Ta’zim arrive with strong record
Johor Darul Ta’zim have also been preparing for their domestic campaign and have recently faced two Spanish opponents.
The Malaysian side drew 0-0 with Elche before securing a 2-0 victory over FC Cartagena, who compete in Spain’s third division.
The club is coached by Xisco Munoz, who previously managed Watford and Sheffield Wednesday.
Johor enjoyed a remarkable 2025-26 domestic campaign, scoring 117 goals across 24 league fixtures while conceding only 10 times. They remained unbeaten throughout the season, dropping points just once via a draw.
Chelsea pre-season form: W-L-L-W
Johor Darul Ta’zim pre-season form: D-W
Team news
Chelsea are expected to make significant alterations to their starting XI.
The Blues could face a shortage of natural full-backs after Marco Palestra, Josh Acheampong, and Jorrel Hato all played more than 79 minutes against AC Milan.
One possible solution would be to deploy Aaron Anselmino at left-back. Alternatively, Alonso could switch to a three-man defence, with two of Jamie Gittens, Estevao Willian and Mykhaylo Mudryk operating in wing-back roles.
Another option would be a conventional back four, potentially featuring Mamadou Sarr at right-back, which could give Chelsea additional attacking balance.
Players who accumulated at least 85 minutes against Milan, including Wesley Fofana, Romeo Lavia, Moises Caicedo, Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro, are expected to be rested for this encounter.
Johor manager Xisco could decide against making major changes after his team’s victory over Cartagena.
Oscar Arribas, playing at right wing-back, and forward Marcos Guilherme were both on target in that victory and could retain their places.
