Chelsea’s second Asia leg fixture takes them to the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta on Saturday, 8 August, to face AC Milan.
Kick-off is at 7pm local time, which is 1pm BST in the UK and 12pm GMT in Ghana.
It is a genuinely historic booking: the first time two of European football’s most decorated clubs have met on Indonesian soil, and it comes 13 years after Chelsea’s first-ever visit to the country.
Both clubs arrive with a similar subplot running alongside the result.
Xabi Alonso is a handful of weeks into life as Chelsea manager, and across the pitch Ruben Amorim is barely any further into his own reset at Milanello.
Two head coaches, two squads still being reshaped, and a fixture that will tell both sets of supporters more about direction than about a scoreline that nobody will remember by the time the Premier League and Serie A seasons get going.
Chelsea and AC Milan Recent Form
Chelsea arrive in Jakarta with a mixed record from the tour proper.
They beat Western Sydney Wanderers 6-4 in Sydney, Joao Pedro’s second-half hat-trick turning a game Chelsea had trailed 4-3 into a rout, before Tottenham won the second Sydney Super Cup fixture 2-1, Kevin Danso’s 49th-minute red card for a foul on Joao Pedro doing little to stop Richarlison snatching a stoppage-time winner.
In Hong Kong, Juventus made it back-to-back defeats for Alonso’s side, Edon Zhegrova’s second-half strike enough to settle a game in which Chelsea created enough late chances, through Estevao, Aaron Anselmino and Romeo Lavia, to have taken something from.
One win from three on the tour itself, then, though the underlying picture is more encouraging than the results alone suggest.
Chelsea have scored in every public fixture so far and both defeats have come by a single goal against sides further ahead in their own pre-season planning.
Factor in the two behind-closed-doors wins at Cobham and Chelsea have taken three wins from five fixtures overall this summer.
AC Milan do have a form guide now, even if it is a thin one. Amorim’s side drew 2-2 with Celtic at Celtic Park on 25 July, James Forrest and Camilo Durran putting the Scottish champions ahead before Francesco Camarda scored twice in the second half to rescue a point.
They followed that with a 1-1 draw against Inter Milan in Perth on 5 August, Federico Dimarco giving Inter the lead before substitute Christopher Nkunku converted a penalty to level it late on.
Two draws from two, then, with a back three and wing-back system already visible in both games, exactly the shape Amorim built his reputation on.
Chelsea vs AC Milan Injury News
Chelsea’s situation remains largely the same as it has been throughout the tour.
Morgan Rogers is still on his post-World Cup break, with his debut targeted for the Real Sociedad friendly on 15 August, while Emmanuel Emegha continues to miss out with the hamstring injury he picked up before the squad flew out, having now sat out all three completed games.
The rest of the travelling squad continues to make up the group in Asia.
AC Milan’s team news is more about squad rebuilding than injuries.
Pervis Estupinan is expected to leave the club this summer and is unlikely to be heavily involved, while Warren Bondo and Ismael Bennacer have both been left out of Amorim’s plans with exits reportedly on the cards.
New arrivals Goncalo Ramos and Mario Gila, by contrast, are expected to be pushed straight into contention as Amorim looks to integrate his big-money additions as quickly as possible.
Chelsea vs AC Milan Players to Watch
Joao Pedro has been Chelsea’s standout performer of the tour, his second-half hat-trick against Western Sydney Wanderers the individual highlight of the trip so far, and he will fancy adding to that tally against a Milan defence still finding its feet under Amorim.
Danny Welbeck made his first Chelsea appearance in the Juventus defeat, leading the line ahead of the still-injured Emegha, and how Alonso splits minutes between Welbeck, Joao Pedro and the touring academy forwards in Jakarta is one of the more interesting selection calls left on this tour.
For Milan, Goncalo Ramos is the obvious headline name, arriving from Paris Saint-Germain in a deal worth around €70m and under immediate pressure to justify it.
But two names have already made a stronger early case for themselves: Francesco Camarda, whose second-half brace rescued a point against Celtic, and Christopher Nkunku, who came off the bench to score the equalising penalty against Inter.
Do not be surprised to see one or both handed a genuine chance to impress in Jakarta rather than just a late cameo.
Tactical Elements: Where Will Chelsea vs AC Milan Be Won?
Amorim’s sides have historically been built around a back three and wing-backs rather than the back four most of Serie A is used to, and that shape has already survived first contact with a squad recruited under previous regimes, both the Celtic and Inter friendlies were played in a 3-4-2-1.
If he sticks with it here, Chelsea’s wide players will find themselves in unusual double-team situations against Milan’s wing-backs, which could open space centrally for whichever forward Alonso picks to exploit.
For Chelsea, the tactical value of this fixture is less about a specific matchup and more about squad management this deep into a long tour.
This is Chelsea’s fourth game in under two weeks, and how well Alonso balances fresh legs against the need to keep building understanding among his first-choice group will matter more than anything Milan do defensively.
Two head coaches, in other words, using the same 90 minutes to solve two completely different problems.
Frequently Asked Questions
How has Chelsea’s pre-season tour gone so far?
Chelsea have won one of their three public tour fixtures, beating Western Sydney Wanderers 6-4 before losing 2-1 to Tottenham and 1-0 to Juventus. Including the two behind-closed-doors wins at Cobham, that is three wins from five games overall this summer.
What time does Chelsea vs AC Milan kick off?
Kick-off is at 7pm local time on Saturday, 8 August 2026 in Jakarta, which is 1pm BST in the UK and 12pm GMT in Ghana.
Where is Chelsea vs AC Milan being played?
The match is being played at the Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Why is Chelsea vs AC Milan a historic fixture?
It is the first time two major European clubs have played each other on Indonesian soil, coming 13 years after Chelsea first visited the country.
Will Goncalo Ramos play against Chelsea?
Ramos is expected to be involved as AC Milan’s new head coach Ruben Amorim looks to integrate his club-record signing as quickly as possible.
