Chelsea v Real Sociedad: Full lineups confirmed as Morgan Rogers starts

Chelsea will host Real Sociedad in a pre-season friendly at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, August 15, with Morgan Rogers named in Chelsea’s starting XI and the full lineups confirmed; the fixture is Chelsea’s sixth club friendly ahead of the new season.

Xabi Alonso’s side were held to a 3-3 draw by Malaysian club Johor Darul Tazim in their previous pre-season contest, a match the article described as another display of poor defending that Chelsea need to fix. The Blues will not compete in any European competition during the 2026-27 campaign but still have a chance to win a domestic treble, and the piece said Alonso’s men must come up with a calm and composed approach. Real Sociedad, managed by Pellegrino Matarazzo, arrive on the back of back-to-back defeats and, the article warned, cannot afford a defeat against Chelsea; it added that Matarazzo’s men will face tough competition at Stamford Bridge but should be able to penetrate their opponent’s defence with constant pressure.

Chelsea named the following starting XI: Sanchez (GK); Palestra, Lacroix, Fofana, Colwill; James, Caicedo; Neto, Palmer, Rogers; Pedro. The substitutes listed were Penders, Slonina, Acheampong, Chavarria, Gusto, Hato, Essugo, Lavia, Barco, Enzo, Estevao, Gittens, Quenda.

Real Sociedad’s starting XI was listed as Remiro (GK); Aramburu, Martin, Beitia, Gomez; Sucic, Soler, Herrera; Kubo, Oskarsson, Barrenetxea. Their bench included Marrero, Folgado, Aihen, Zubeldia, Turrientes, Oyarzabal, Marin, Zakharyan, Ruperez, Goti, Marchal, Lebarbier, Ochieng.

Fans can watch the fixture live by tuning into Chelsea’s Official App and website with a CFC+ subscription, and follow Khel Now for updates on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or via the Khel Now Android and iOS apps and Telegram channel.

Dilpreet is a dedicated football writer who joined Khel Now in 2025; the article notes he is a proud Real Madrid fan and that his work covers tactics, culture and emotion with a background in content writing.

The game will start at 06:30 p.m. IST on Saturday, August 15, at Stamford Bridge in London, England.