New era begins: Xabi Alonso will hope to lead Chelsea to victory in their opening match of pre-season
Chelsea begin the Xabi Alonso era this morning as they kick off their pre-season tour campaign against Western Sydney Wanderers at Accor Stadium. The Blues’ new boss has technically been in post since early July and oversaw behind-closed-doors friendly wins over both Crawley and Bromley at Cobham last week, but this is his first official match at the helm. Alonso will hope to hit the ground running in Australia, before summer preparations quickly ramp up against familiar rivals Tottenham in the Sydney Super Cup on Saturday.
Chelsea are without a number of key stars who remain on holiday following the World Cup, a group that includes new club-record £117million signing Morgan Rogers, while other new arrivals such as Emmanuel Emegha and Geovany Quenda miss out through injury. However, Alonso has still taken a strong squad Down Under featuring the likes of Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro and recent recruit Marco Palestra.
Several highly-rated youngsters will also get their chance to impress, with Chelsea also scheduled to play Juventus, AC Milan, Johor Darul Ta'zim and Real Sociedad before returning to Premier League action against rivals Fulham on August 24. Follow Chelsea vs Western Sydney Wanderers live below!
How to watch Chelsea vs Western Sydney Wanderers
TV channel and live stream: In the UK, today’s 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 to watch.
An annual subscription costs £15, while pay-per-view passes worth £9.99 are also available for each match.
Chelsea vs Western Sydney Wanderers live
Good morning and welcome to Standard Sport’s live coverage of Chelsea’s pre-season tour opener.
The Blues are in Australia today as they officially begin the Xabi Alonso era against A-League side Western Sydney Wanderers at Accor Stadium.
Kick-off comes at 10:45am BST, so stay with us for match build-up, breaking team news and game updates.