Danny Welbeck came close to a debut goal as Chelsea struggled to break Juventus down in their latest game on their pre-season tour of Asia.
Welbeck was handed a first start in a Chelsea shirt following his surprise move from Brighton and the experienced former England international had the Blues only real chance in a largely dire opening 45 minutes at Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong.
The chance was created by another debutant, teenage winger Geovany Quenda, after 13 minutes with a beautifully whipped in cross picking out Welbeck but the 35-year-old’s flicked header flew wide of the target.
The early stages were littered with niggly fouls and the odd hefty challenge with both sides looking to set down a marker – much to the delight of an enthusiastic crowd.
Bar Welbeck’s header and a wayward shot from Quenda, there was very little for the locals to get excited about with no efforts on target in the opening half hour.
Juve offered more of an attacking threat as half-time approached, the lively Jeremie Boga sending in two crosses, the first dropped by Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, who did much better with the second.
Sanchez was also called into action on the stroke of half-time to keep out a Boga shot, the Spaniard getting down well to ensure the game remained goalless at half-time.
CHELSEA TEAM NEWS
Mykhailo Mudryk was named among the substitutes and could make his first appearance in 20 months. The Ukraine winger has not played since November 2024 after testing positive for the banned substance meldonium. His case was resolved last week and Mudryk jumped on the first available flight to Hong Kong.
Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill missed out with minor knocks.
Chelsea: Sanchez; Hato, Fofana, Adarabioyo, Palestra; Caicedo, Nicoll-Jazuli, Quenda, Gittens, Joao Pedro; Welbeck
Chelsea Substitutes: Penders, Sharman-Lowe, Curd, Slonina, Sarr, Subuloye, Anselmino, Acheampong, Diakite, Essugo, Lavia, Walsh, Watson, Kellyman, Satpayev, Kavuma-McQueen, Estevao, Mudryk, Neto, Jackson, Delap
JUVENTUS TEAM NEWS
Juventus can no longer call upon Dusan Vlahovic, released at the end of his contract, so a fit-again Arkadiusz Milik led the line.
Juventus: Di Gregorio; Kalulu, Gatti, Kelly, Celik; Douglas Luiz, Locatelli, Boga, Miretti, Cambiaso; Milik
Juventus Substitutes: Perin, Pinsoglio, Nava, Bremer, Koopmeiners, Yildiz, Zhegrova, Rugani, Arthur, David, Cabal, Owusu, Gil Puche, Oboavwoduo, Licina, Durmisi
How to watch Chelsea v Juventus: TV and online streams
Chelsea v Juventus kicked off at 12:30pm UK time on Wednesday August 5, which is 7:30pm local time in Hong Kong. In the UK, the match will be shown live on Chelsea’s in-house streaming service, CFC.
Stats for Chelsea v Juventus
- Chelsea have won one and lost one of their two pre-season friendlies so far this summer
- The two sides have met six times previously, all in the Champions League, with two wins each and two draws
- Their most recent meeting came in November 2021, when Chelsea beat Juventus 4-0 at Stamford Bridge to seal a 4-1 aggregate win in the group phase
- Juventus have not conceded a goal in their three pre-season friendlies
