Chelsea open their pre-season tour in Australia against Western Sydney WFC on Tuesday, with new head coach Xabi Alonso heavily favoured by bookmakers to start his reign with victory in the Sydney Super Cup.
The match, scheduled for 28 July 2026 at 09:45 GMT at Accor Stadium in Sydney, will be the first ever meeting between Chelsea FC and Western Sydney WFC. It comes at the start of a crucial rebuilding phase for the Premier League club after a deeply disappointing 2025-26 campaign.
Chelsea rebuild under Alonso
Chelsea, who finished last season well below expectations despite heavy investment and a talented squad, have undergone sweeping changes both on the touchline and in the dressing room. The club used three different head coaches during the 2025-26 season before moving decisively to appoint Alonso, formerly in charge at Bayer Leverkusen and previously on the staff at Real Madrid.
The Spanish coach arrives with a clear playing philosophy and a squad in the middle of significant overhaul. Marc Cucurella, Trevoh Chalobah, Alejandro Garnacho and Andrey Santos have all departed, while Emmanuel Emegha and Maxence Lacroix are among the notable new arrivals tasked with helping to reshape the team.
The transfer window remains open and Chelsea’s business is far from complete, leaving Alonso with what has been described as a major reconstruction project as he looks to assemble a competitive side capable of restoring the club’s reputation in 2026-27.
Defensive frailties still a concern
Chelsea’s most pressing issue is at the back. The team conceded 58 goals in 38 Premier League matches last season, and the exits of Cucurella and Chalobah have further weakened a defence already under scrutiny.
For this tour, Alonso has brought a 27-man squad, headed by attacking talents Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro. However, several World Cup participants – including Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez, both widely expected to leave the club – have not travelled.
Despite the ongoing uncertainty around the final make-up of the squad and the obvious defensive shortcomings, analysts and bookmakers see Chelsea as overwhelming favourites for the friendly in Sydney, judging the gap in quality between the two sides to be substantial.
Western Sydney struggling to recapture past heights
Western Sydney WFC, founded in 2012 and crowned AFC Champions League winners just two years later, go into the fixture a long way from their peak years. They finished bottom of the A-League last season and have struggled at both ends of the pitch.
In the 2025-26 Australian league campaign, Western Sydney scored only 27 goals in 26 matches – an average of barely one per game and the joint-worst attacking record in the competition. Defensively they fared little better, conceding 43 times to register the third-worst record in the division.
Under head coach Ufuk Talay, there were at least some positive signs in the early stages of the new season as Western Sydney began their 2026-27 campaign with a 2-0 victory over Tigers in the round of 32 of the Australia Cup last Wednesday. But observers expect the step up in opposition against Chelsea to provide a far sterner examination and potentially a reality check for captain Brandon Borrello and his team-mates.
Spotlight on Joao Pedro
Among Chelsea’s travelling party, Joao Pedro is regarded as a key figure to watch. The forward was a notable omission from Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil squad for the recent World Cup, despite an impressive individual season for Chelsea in which he scored 18 goals in all competitions, including 15 in the Premier League.
The 24-year-old is understood to be determined to force his way back into the national-team picture through his performances at club level, particularly as Ancelotti appears likely to remain in charge of the Selecao. Tuesday’s match is expected to be one of the first opportunities for Pedro to underline his case for a recall ahead of the new campaign.
Given Western Sydney’s defensive vulnerabilities and Pedro’s form last season, analysts view at least one goal from the Brazilian as a strong possibility, while also suggesting the Wanderers could still be capable of finding the net once against Chelsea’s porous back line.
Bookmakers’ view
Betting markets are firmly in Chelsea’s favour, with the Premier League side seen as operating on a different level to the A-League strugglers. While a Chelsea win is widely regarded as the most likely outcome, the combination of Chelsea’s defensive record and Western Sydney’s recent attacking display in the Australia Cup has led some experts to predict that both teams may score.
Chelsea FC v Western Sydney WFC takes place on Tuesday 28 July 2026 at Accor Stadium in Sydney, with kick-off at 09:45 GMT.
