Xabi Alonso shares his optimistic vision and expectations for Chelsea
Chelsea Football Newsletter
There are plenty of new faces in the Chelsea squad, with the likes of Marco Palestra and Dastan Satpayev looking forward to their first-team debuts after sealing transfers this summer.
It is also, of course, the first match of Xabi Alonso’s tenure with the club, giving fans a first opportunity to get a glimpse of his new brand of football.
He will hope for an easy start to life in royal blue as he faces Western Sydney, who finished bottom of A-League last season with just 21 points taken from 26 matches.
It is the first outing of an extended pre-season campaign for Chelsea, which will also see them face Tottenham, Juventus, AC Milan and Johor Darul Ta’zim in Asia and Oceania before returning to London to play Real Sociedad.
Date, kick-off time and venue
Western Sydney Wanderers vs Chelsea is scheduled for a 10.45am BST kick-off on Tuesday, July 28, 2026.
The match will take place at Accor Stadium.
Where to watch Western Sydney Wanderers vs Chelsea
TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on CFC+, Chelsea’s in-house video streaming service.
All of the club’s pre-season fixtures will be broadcast via CFC+, which requires a membership. An annual subscription costs £15, while pay-per-view passes worth £9.99 are also available for each match.
Live blog: You can follow all the action on matchday via Standard Sport’s live blog.
Chelsea enjoyed an open training session at a packed Accor Stadium on Sunday
Western Sydney Wanderers vs Chelsea team news
Chelsea will be without two summer signings in Emanuel Emegha and Geovany Quenda after they were left in London having picked up knocks. Morgan Rogers is yet to join up with his new club, too.
Also absent are those players who competed into the late stages of the World Cup, including Pedro Neto, Reece James, Trevoh Chalobah and Enzo Fernandez.
Read More
Transfer news LIVE: Arsenal done deal, Vinicius latest; Man Utd move
Chelsea XI vs Western Sydney: Confirmed team news and predicted lineup
Watch: On-loan Chelsea starlet scores stunning first senior goal
Art After Dark is back with an exciting calendar of cultural events
Palestra is expected to make his debut here, as will a number of academy players who have made the trip down under.
Estevao, Romeo Lavia and Jamie Gittens are all back fit and expected to feature, as is Levi Colwill.
Western Sydney Wanderers vs Chelsea prediction
As ever in pre-season, the result is not what Xabi Alonso will be preoccupied with as he heads to the Accor Stadium.
He will, however, be confident of getting a result against what on paper is a vastly inferior side.
The best case for Alonso and his team will be to get minutes in the legs of as many players as possible, avoid injury and score a few goals in doing so. We expect them to do exactly that.
Chelsea to win, 4-1.
Head to head (h2h) history and results
This will be the first meeting between these two teams.
Western Sydney Wanderers vs Chelsea match odds
Western Sydney Wanderers to win: 11/2
Chelsea to win: 1/4
Draw: 6/1
We aim to offer every online gambler and reader of The Standard a safe and fair platform through unbiased reviews and offers from the UK's best online gambling companies.
Gambling can be addictive, always play responsibly and only bet what you can afford to lose. Gambling sites have a number of tools to assist you to stay in control, including deposit limits and time outs. If you think you have a problem, advice and support is available for you now from BeGambleAware or Gamcare.
Any offers or odds listed in this article are correct at the time of publication but are subject to change. Terms & Conditions apply to all offers.