Photo: Ronnie Macdonald / CC BY 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Danny Welbeck made his first start for Chelsea in a pre-season defeat to Juventus at Hong Kong's Kai Tak Stadium on 5 August, with an Edon Zhegrova goal settling the match in favour of Xabi Alonso's side.
Welbeck led the line in the first half alongside Joao Pedro — a former Brighton team-mate — before being substituted at the interval. Despite the result, the striker described the outing as a useful preparation exercise ahead of the Premier League season.
'It's very important to play these types of games against strong opponents in new surroundings,' Welbeck said after the final whistle. 'We're going into a tough and relentless Premier League season, so it's good to have these games to get ourselves ready. It was great to be out on the pitch but unfortunately, we couldn't get the win.'
Welbeck also singled out the atmosphere generated by the Hong Kong crowd for particular mention, calling the support 'incredible' and acknowledging the importance of connecting with overseas fans in person.
'We always appreciate that support, so it's really nice to play in front of the spectators today and hopefully we can get a win for them the next time we are in Hong Kong,' he added.