Chelsea are very much a club in transition but boss Xabi Alonso will be hoping for a more cohesive performance when his side take on AC Milan in Jakarta on Saturday.

Alonso has inherited a bloated squad and added to it with 41 senior players now on the books. That means he can field two strong sides in separate games this weekend – one against Milan and another against Malaysian champions Johor Darul Ta’zim on Sunday.

The Blues boss will use the final two fixtures on the tour of Asia to work out which players are in his plans and which ones will be moved on before the transfer window closes on September 1.

Two men who will certainly be involved in the forthcoming campaign are forwards Danny Welbeck and Joao Pedro.

Welbeck made his Chelsea debut in Wednesday’s defeat to Juventus in Hong Kong, playing the first 45 minutes, and got the chance to reunite on the pitch with Pedro. The pair have been team-mates at both Watford and Brighton and the Brazilian was delighted to see veteran Welbeck join the club last week.

He told the club’s official website: “Personally, Danny is a very important person for me in life. When I came to England, I didn’t speak English, but he always tried to be around me to support me and help me develop. 

“This will now be the third time that we have played together and I think, as he did with me in the past, he will give support to everyone in the squad. Danny is this guy; he is very helpful and wants the best for everyone around him and for the team. 

“Everyone knows that he is a top player. I’m looking forward to playing alongside him again and I think he will be a very good person to have in the group.”

Chelsea’s defeat to Juve was their second in succession after going down 2-1 to a Tottenham side that played for almost the entire second half with 10 men. Their first game on tour was a wild 6-4 win over the Western Sydney Wanderers.

Milan are also undergoing a rebuild this summer with former Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim at the helm.

Amorim has already implemented his preferred 3-4-3 formation and so far it has resulted in two pre-season draws, against Celtic in Glasgow and Inter Milan in Perth on Wednesday.

Team news for Chelsea v AC Milan

Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill are both being assessed after picking up minor issues in Hong Kong. Enzo Fernandez, Reece James, Morgan Rogers, Jordan Henderson, Maxence Lacroix, Valentin Barco and Malo Gusto are all on extended summer breaks following their exertions at the World Cup.

Winger Mykhailo Mudryk made his return from a drugs ban against Juve, coming on for the final eight minutes, and could be given a longer run out in this one.

Amorim is dealing with his own selection headaches. Christian Pulisic has been troubled by a thigh problem and Mike Maignan is still working his way back into full training after his own World Cup commitments.

Rafael Leão and Luka Modrić are back in the squad but likely to see only a gradual reintroduction, while summer signing Mario Gila has been managing a knock picked up during his early days at the club.

New signing Gonzalo Ramos could start in attack alongside former Chelsea man Christopher Nkunku.

Expected line-ups for Chelsea v AC Milan

Chelsea: Penders; Palestra, Colwill, Acheampong, Hato; Caicedo, Lavia; Estevao, Pedro, Gittens; Welbeck

AC Milan: Torriani; Terracciano, Gabbia, Tomori; Saelemaekers, Fofana, Jashari, Estupinan; Chukwueze, Nkunku; Ramos

How to watch Chelsea v AC Milan: TV and online streams

Chelsea versus AC Milan kicks off at 1pm UK time and is not being shown on television. It can, however, be streamed on Chelsea’s in-house station, CFC+ (subscription required, £15 annually or £9.99 pay-per-view)

Stats for Chelsea v AC Milan

• The teams met in a pre-season friendly almost 12 months to the day, Chelsea winning 4-1 at Stamford Bridge
• Their last competitive meetings came in 2022 with Chelsea winning home and away in the Champions League group stage

Prediction for Chelsea v AC Milan

Both teams are at similar stages in their pre-season so this should be an interesting clash.

Chelsea have the better players and Alonso will be desperate for his work on the training pitch to come to fruition.

Prediction: Chelsea 1-1 AC Milan