Chelsea's vast and extensive pre-season tour of Asia continues, albeit this is taking it to an extreme level. Xabi Alonso's side are playing two matches 700 miles apart within 24 hours of each-other. Thus, it tough to forecast what sort of team those inside the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium on Sunday will witness, but that makes this fixture intriguing nonetheless.
Chelsea vs Johor Darul Ta'zim match info
- Date: Sunday 9 August 2026.
- Kick off times (s): 8pm (local) and 1pm (BST).
- Competition: Pre-season friendly.
- Venue: Sultan Ibrahim Stadium - Johor, Malaysia.
- How to watch: CFC+.
How do I watch Chelsea vs Johor Darul Ta'zim?
This match is available to watch on CFC+ around the world.
It will also be live on various broadcasters in selected territories. These include CBS Sports Golazo in the United States, Paramount+ in Australia, TVNZ+ in New Zealand, DAZN in Japan and Claro Sports in South and Central America.
Chelsea vs Johor Darul Ta'zim match preview
After beating A.C. Milan in Jakarta on Saturday, Chelsea have flown two hours to Johor for a second match this weekend. Just yesterday, the Blues cruised to a 3-0 victory, with João Pedro scoring twice at Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium. The pick of the goals though was Moisés Caicedo's stunning volley from the edge of the area, connecting with a corner.
This continued Chelsea's mixed pre-season results. After enjoying a bonkers 6-4 victory over Western Sydney Wanderers, the Blues were then beaten by Tottenham Hotspur and Juventus in Sydney and Hong Kong. This match at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Malaysia bookends their madcap Asian tour, so will Alonso oversee a win?
Meantime, who are Johor Darul Ta'zim, and how much of a test will they pose? Well, they won last season's Malaysia Super League title, crowned champions for the very first time in 2014, but winning the title in 12 consecutive seasons since then. The world record for most successive league titles in 15, so they are very much closing in on that, while their's is the joint-longest active streak.
This though does not answer the question of how strong this team are? Well, they did reach last season's Asian Champions League Elite quarter-finals, only narrowly beaten 2-1 by Al-Ahli, the eventual winners from Saudi Arabia. The Tigers are also managed by former Watford and Sheffield Wednesday head coach Xisco Muñoz.
However, according to Opta, the Malaysian Super League is the 117th strongest league in the world, below Portugal's third-tier and 26 spots lower than EFL League Two. The Opta global team rankings has Johor Darul Ta'zim 205th in the world, significantly higher than their league average, which should be no surprise given their dominance. This has them three places above Norwich, for some context. Nevertheless, Chelsea should swat them aside.
Chelsea team news
For obvious reasons, no one who started against A.C. Milan will be involved in this one. Alonso largely deployed his first team in that one, so this XI will feature a lot of younger players. Mykhailo Mudryk will be relishing the minutes more than most. After the FA confirmed that his drugs ban is over, he jumped on the first flight east, coming off the bench against Juventus and Milan, likely to start here.
Reece James, Malo Gusto, Trevoh Chalobah, Enzo Fernández as well as new signings Maxence Lacroix, Jordan Henderson and Morgan Rogers remain absent following their World Cup exploits.
- Chelsea predicted lineup vs Johor Darul Ta'zim: Sharman-Lowe; Subuloye, Anselmino, Adarabioyo, Sarr; Quenda, Essugo, Nicoll-Jazuli, Gittens, Satpaev; Delap.
Johor Darul Ta'zim team news
Johor Darul Ta'zim's new season starts just a few days before Chelsea's, so they are also in pre-season. Last time out, Xisco Muñoz's team beat third-tier Spanish opposition Cartagena but, to say this will be a tougher challenge, would be an understatement.
35 year old Brazilian Bérgson was the top-scorer in Malaysia last season with 27, with Manuel Hidalgo leading the way in terms of assists, so are likely to be the Tigers' main threats .
- Johor Darul Ta'zim predicted lineup vs Chelsea: Hazmi; Baharudin, Glauder, İsrafilov; Pasero, Fazail, Méndez, Corbin-Ong; Hidalgo, Guilherme, Bérgson.
- Score prediction: Chelsea 4-0 Johor Darul Ta'zim.
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