Xabi Alonso's first match in charge of Chelsea will take place on their tour of Austria. Western Sydney Wanderers are not a serious opponent, and they themselves have only just come back from their off-season, so both teams are likely to have clear fitness issues.
Chelsea
Despite a squad full of world-class stars, last season did not go well for Chelsea. They failed in every competition apart from the FA Cup, where they lost only in the final to Manchester City (0:1). Even without European qualification, the London club brought in Xabi Alonso and spent heavily, buying Rodgers and Palestra and finalising last year's deals for Kende and Emegha. The final nine matches of the season produced as many as six defeats, so they need to restore their reputation immediately in pre-season.
Western Sydney Wanderers
In the most recent Australian league season, Western Sydney Wanderers were by some distance the worst club, with 15 defeats in 26 matches and a goal difference of -16. Only on Wednesday they beat Tigers (2:0) in the Cup; before that, they had been on a three-month break. They ended last season with a run of five straight defeats, conceding at least two goals in every game.
Chelsea vs Western Sydney Wanderers Prediction
The gap in quality is huge: in terms of total squad value, Chelsea are almost 164 times more expensive than their opponents. Some stars will miss the tour after the 2026 FIFA World Cup (James, Fernandez and Rodgers), but even without them they should comfortably start pre-season with a win over Western Sydney Wanderers.
