Chelsea to meet Juventus in Hong Kong pre-season friendly on August 5

Chelsea will play Juventus at Kai Tak Sports Park in Kowloon City, Hong Kong in a pre-season friendly on Wednesday, August 5, with kick-off scheduled for 5:00 pm IST.

Chelsea arrive after a turbulent 2025-26 domestic campaign following their FIFA Club World Cup 2025 victory and subsequent managerial turnover after Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior left; Xabi Alonso has recently taken charge at Stamford Bridge. "Training in Hong Kong! 🇭🇰 pic.twitter.com/4ws2IZXxSM" Neither side has drawn any of their last three fixtures, Chelsea were beaten 2-1 by ten-man Tottenham — with Sandro Tonali and Richarlison among the scorers — and the Blues have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last seven games. Juventus are unbeaten in three pre-season friendlies with two wins and a draw, including victories over Standard Liege and OGC Nice.

Juventus finished sixth in Serie A last season and will compete in the UEFA Europa League; Luciano Spalletti is set to continue as head coach. The club completed moves for Randal Kolo Muani from PSG and Kerim Alajbegovic from Bayer Leverkusen, while players such as Openda and Vasilije Adzic are set to be sent out on loan.

The preview notes Chelsea’s 2025-26 Player of the Season — described here as a Brazilian striker — was omitted from Brazil’s World Cup 2026 squad by Carlo Ancelotti despite contributing 33 goal contributions in nearly 50 games for the Blues. The article says the forward offers explosive acceleration, fluid dribbling and positional versatility, and describes him as a former Brighton and Watford striker capable of operating as a central or secondary striker.

The piece profiles Manuel Locatelli, noting he was born alongside Lake Como in Lombardy, began his career with AC Milan before moving to Sassuolo and later joining Juventus on loan; he was part of Italy’s Euro 2021 squad. It reports Locatelli has signed a long-term contract with Juventus until June 2030 and describes him as excelling at reading opponent transitions and as the heartbeat of Juve’s midfield.

Chelsea’s team news lists Mykhailo Mudryk as absent, Romeo Lavia as doubtful after picking up a knock, and Bynoe Gittens as doubtful with a hamstring injury, while Juventus will be without Italian striker Jeff Ekhator due to injury. The preview supplies probable lineups: Chelsea — Teddy Sharman-Lowe (GK); Marco Palestra, Wesley Fofana, Levi Colwill, Jorrel Hato; Dário Essugo, Roméo Lavia; Estêvão, Cole Palmer, Jamie Gittens; João Pedro. Juventus — Michele Di Gregorio (GK); Federico Gatti, Lloyd Kelly, Pierre Kalulu; Zeki Çelik, Manuel Locatelli, Douglas Luiz, Andrea Cambiaso; Edon Zhegrova, Arkadiusz Milik, Fabio Miretti.

The preview expects Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea to get the better of Juventus and highlights Cole Palmer and João Pedro as key offensive options for the Blues. The match will be played at Kai Tak Sports Park, Kowloon City, Hong Kong on Wednesday, August 5 at 5:00 pm IST and can be streamed on CFC+ or juventus.com, with viewers in India able to watch on Fancode.