Chelsea vs. Western Sydney Wanderers: Preview, Predictions and Lineups

The Blues begin their tour down under against A-League opposition.

Chelsea travel Down Under for their first match of preseason. | Visionhaus/Getty Images (Chelsea), Western Sydney Wanderers

Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea take to the field for the first time in Sydney, with the Blues facing the A-League’s Western Sydney Wanderers on Tuesday.

Chelsea have entered yet another new dawn with Alonso at the helm, having churned through Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior last season before finishing the campaign with Calum McFarlane at the helm.

The Blues endured a wretched season that failed to return European soccer. They’ve since seen former boss Maresca succeed Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, but the club believe Alonso is capable of overseeing a successful long-term project in west London.

Tuesday’s occasion will very much be an unofficial first taste of Alonso’s Chelsea, with an array of players expected to a part of the new manager’s plans not yet involved in preseason.

Their opponents, the Wanderers, endured a historically bad A-League campaign last season, finishing rock bottom with a measly 21 points. They’ve since hired Ufuk Talay as manager, starting the 2026–27 season with a 2–0 win over Tigers FC in the round of 32 of the Australia Cup.

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Chelsea vs. Western Sydney Wanderers Score Prediction

Chelsea Cruise Down Under

Chelsea should ease past tame opposition. | Ayush Kumar/Getty Images

The Wanderers’ victory in the Australia Cup was their first in eight competitive games, and just their second clean sheet in 13 outings. Very rarely do A-League opposition encounter European foes, with Everton the last English team to face the Red and Black in 2022.

Chelsea should have a new lease of life with Alonso at the helm, even if we’re unlikely to see anything too sophisticated at the start of preseason. The Blues should only improve as the summer wears on, especially with players returning.

Alonso will merely want to get a feel for the group at his disposal, including an array of youngsters, in Sydney ahead of their meeting with Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.

The Blues should simply have far too much quality for their opponents.

Prediction: Chelsea 3–0 Western Sydney Wanderers

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Western Sydney Wanderers Predicted Lineup vs. Chelsea

Ufuk Talay is at the start of his managerial tenure. | FotMob

The Wanderers’ campaign has only just started, and we should expect plenty of their first team to start Tuesday’s friendly against high-caliber opposition.

Forward Brandon Borrello is among the Socceroos poised to feature at Accor Stadium. Borrello spent five years in Germany, returning to his homeland in 2022. He’s since scored 19 times in 53 A-League appearances.

Miguel Di Pizio and Liam Gillion will likely join Borrello in attack, although manager Talay should also offer minutes to the club’s younger players.

Western Sydney Wanderers predicted lineup vs. Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Vidacković; Madanha, Ferreyra, Pantazopoulos, Gersbach; Scicluna, Thurgate; Di Pizio, Hammond, Gillion; Borrello.

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Chelsea Predicted Lineup vs. Western Sydney Wanderers

Alonso has selected an array of academy starlets on his touring roster. | FotMob

Alonso has picked a 28-man roster for Chelsea’s tour down under, with those who competed at the World Cup poised to join up at a later date.

None of Chelsea’s 10 representatives, including pantomime villain Enzo Fernández, were named in Alonso’s initial roster.

Trevoh Chalobah, Axel Disasi and Benoît Badiashile also haven’t traveled amid transfer interest, but Nicolas Jackson is expected to arrive in Australia soon.

Geovany Quenda and Emmanuel Emegha are nursing injuries, so won’t feature in Sydney on Tuesday. Estêvão and Jamie Gittens also ended last season with significant hamstring concerns, although the latter has since recovered from his setback.

Summer addition Marco Pelestra should earn his first run out in blue, but Chelsea supporters will have to wait for Morgan Rogers’s debut.

Chelsea predicted lineup vs. Western Sydney Wanderers (3-4-2-1): Jörgensen; Fofana, Subuloye, Colwill; Palestra, Nicoll-Jazuli, Watson, Kavuma-McQueen; Palmer, Gittens; Pedro.

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What Time Does Chelsea vs. Western Sydney Wanderers Kick Off?

• Location: Sydney, Australia
• Stadium: Accor Stadium
• Date: Tuesday, July 28
• Kick-off Time: 10:45 a.m. BST / 5:45 a.m. ET / 2:45 a.m. PT

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How to Watch Chelsea vs. Western Sydney Wanderers on TV, Live Stream

Country	TV Channel/Live Stream
United States	Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo
International	CFC+
Mexico	Claro Sports

• MORE: Full list of broadcasters around the world for Chelsea vs. Western Sydney Wanderers

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