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Chelsea travel to Malaysia for their second pre-season friendly in the space of two days to take on Malaysian Super League champions Johor Darul Ta'zim at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Blues also face AC Milan on the Saturday, before concluding pre-season with a friendly against Real Sociedad.
Like Chelsea, JDT's new domestic season has not started yet, so they too have been playing friendlies in preparation for it.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our today's betting tips page for more of our expert predictions.
Johor Darul Ta'Zim vs. Chelsea key stats
- JDT are unbeaten in their previous three friendlies.
- Chelsea have lost their last two friendlies.
- Chelsea's previous three friendlies saw 14 goals scored.
Johor Darul Ta'Zim vs. Chelsea preview: Blues to get back on track
JDT vs Chelsea — Tale of the Tape
| JDT | vs | Chelsea |
|---|---|---|
| 1st (Malaysian Super League) | Position | 10th (Premier League) |
| 70 | Points | 52 |
| 117 | Goals For | 58 |
| 10 | Goals Against | 52 |
| 16 | Clean Sheets | 9 |
| 1st | Home / Away Rank | 5th |
JDT won their 12th Malaysian Super League title last season, and have won every title available since 2014.
They also lifted the other three domestic trophies available to them for a fourth successive campaign, further asserting themselves as the best team in the country.
Spaniard Xisco Munoz is in charge, while notable names in the squad include Englishman Hong Wan, formerly of Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Australian Shane Lowry, who played for Aston Villa among a number of other English clubs.
JDT appear to have no fresh injury concerns at the time of writing, so will likely field their strongest available XI to give them the best possible chance of producing a shock result.
Chelsea are sweating on the fitness of Romeo Lavia and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, while Mykhailo Mudryk has joined up with the squad after a lengthy ban.
It is unclear how the squads will be split between this game and the one against Milan a day earlier, but new signings like Danny Welbeck will be pushing for more minutes to build their fitness.
Xabi Alonso is the man tasked with improving on Chelsea's 2025/26 campaign, which should not be difficult after a 10th-place finish in the Premier League and no silverware won.
Aiming to put their previous two pre-season defeats behind them, the Blues will aim to flex their muscle here and build confidence ahead of the new season.
Johor Darul Ta'zim vs. Chelsea form guide & betting tips
| JDT | vs | Chelsea |
|---|---|---|
WLWDW |
Form | WLWLL |
| 14 | Goals For | 10 |
| 3 | Goals Against | 10 |
WDW |
Friendlies | WLL |
Whispers predicts: Johor Darul Ta'zim 0-4 Chelsea
*odds unavailable at time of writing
While are odds are currently unavailable, we expect Chelsea to be clear favourites with bookies.
In terms of bets worth exploring, Chelsea to win (-3 handicap) would reflect the gulf in quality between the two teams.
In a similar vein, BTTS – No and Over 3.5 goals could also be worth exploring depending on the price, as we predict a 4-0 Chelsea win, which should have even higher odds based on it being an exact scoreline.
> Chelsea to win (-3 handicap) at N/A | Likelihood: Possible
> BTTS – No at N/A | Likelihood: Possible
> Over 3.5 goals at N/A | Likelihood: Possible