Pre-season has arrived for Chelsea, with the first of six games getting underway.

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Absolute Chelsea

·28 July 2026

Pre-season has arrived for Chelsea, with the first of six games getting underway.

Why Geovany Quenda is not in Chelsea's squad to face Western Sydney Wanderers. Video Credit: Absolute Chelsea

Xabi Alonso has named his Chelsea side to face Western Sydney Wanderers at Accor Stadium in Sydney, Australia.

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It's the first of two games in Sydney for Chelsea, who will face Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday before heading to Asia for the second leg of their overseas tour.

Chelsea arrived in New South Wales over the weekend to begin preparations for the A-League side, who are relishing the chance to play the world champions.

Western Sydney Wanderers finished bottom of their domestic league last season, which saw them replace Gary van Egmond with Ufuk Talay to lead the team.

The Aussie side head into Tuesday's friendly having beaten Tigers FC in a 2-0 win last week to progress into the Australia Cup. Meanwhile, Chelsea played a couple of behind-closed-doors matches before making the 10,500+ mile trip, beating Crawley Town and Bromley.

Alonso has brought a 28-man squad with him to Australia, including key stars Cole Palmer, Levi Colwill, Joao Pedro and Estevao Willian.

Chelsea are without new signings Geovany Quenda and Emmanuel Emegha. They are recovering from respective injuries. Quenda will join the team in Asia, while Emegha is set to be ready in time for the new Premier League season.

"We are expecting to have a productive and good time here in Sydney," previewed Alonso.

"You don’t have the chance to come every weekend here to Sydney, so you need to pick the right time.

"So far it’s been good, and now we have our first game on Tuesday and then another on Saturday."

Tuesday offers an opportunity for Alonso's side to be seen for the first time since he signed a four-year contract with the Blues.

Plenty of changes are expected in terms of personnel throughout pre-season, including during matches, with the selected academy stars like Landon Emenalo keen to impress the new manager.

Alonso has been hands-on with the Chelsea squad during training sessions since his arrival, and the 44-year-old will no doubt be active on the touchline on Tuesday evening to coach his team, ensuring his ideas are implemented and refined ahead of the new season.

Alonso has now chosen his starters to face Western Sydney Wanderers in pre-season. Here are the confirmed teams from Accor Stadium.

Confirmed teams for Western Sydney Wanderers vs Chelsea

Western Sydney Wanderers XI: Holmes, Gersbach, Hammond, Scicluna, Di Pizio, Gillion, Pantazopoulos, Borrello, Thurgate, Ferreyra, Madahna

Bench: Ugarkovic, Milanovic, Morrison, Carluccio, Lual, Thomas, Barrie, Katrib, Rose, Cetinic, Hassarati, Waraga, Fransen, Savic, Abdul-Rahman, Vidackovic

Chelsea XI: Sharman-Lowe, Acheampong, Tosin, Subuloye, Emenalo, Walsh, Watson, Essugo, Delap, Satpaev, Kavuma-McQueen

Bench: Sanchez, Palestra, Colwill, Palmer, Gittens, Joao Pedro, Fofana, Anselmino, Nicoll-Jazuli, Kellyman, Curd, Estevao, Diakite, Lavia