Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso will face his former Liverpool team-mate Luis Garcia when the club conclude their pre-season tour against Johor Darul Ta’zim in Malaysia on Sunday. Garcia, now JDT’s chief executive, said the occasion is significant for the club and Malaysian football, while joking that he hopes Alonso’s Chelsea finish behind Liverpool next season.

The match will be held at JDT’s 40,000-capacity Sultan Ibrahim Stadium, with a sell-out expected. JDT are unbeaten domestically since 2021 and are on a world record-equalling 108-match unbeaten run, having also reached last season’s AFC Champions League quarter-finals; Garcia says the club’s ambition is to raise Malaysian football’s standard and eventually help the country reach a World Cup.