Perth Glory vs. Chelsea: Team News, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info

Maurizio Sarri will take charge of Chelsea for the first time on Monday, as the Blues meet Perth Glory at Optus Stadium in Perth, Australia.

After a summer rife with speculation, Sarri finally replaced the sacked Antonio Conte, although time is at a premium for the Italian to get his team ready for the new season. This fixture is one of four pre-season games Chelsea will play in addition to the Community Shield a week ahead of the campaign.

While the match will be a chance for Chelsea players to impress, it’ll also be an opportunity for fans to see new signing Jorginho. The Italian has been included in the squad following his £50 million switch from Napoli.

Read on for a preview of the game and all the details needed on where to catch the action from Perth.

Team News

As noted by the Chelsea website, the Blues have taken 25 players Down Under for this fixture, although they’re still without FIFA World Cup participants Eden Hazard, Thibaut Courtois, N’Golo Kante and Olivier Giroud.

It’s also an important game for new Glory manager Tony Popovic, who will want to see his side perform well against a talented opponent.

Likely Perth XI: Liam Reddy; Ivan Franjic, Matthew Spiranovic, Tomislav Mrcela, Jason Davidson; Neil Kilkenny, Joel Chianese, Jake Brimmer, Chris Harold, Jacob Italiano; Andy Keogh

Likely Chelsea XI: Marcin Bulka; Davide Zappacosta, David Luis, Tomas Kalas, Marcos Alonso; Tiemoue Bakayoko, Jorginho, Cesc Fabregas; Charly Musonda, Alvaro Morata, Pedro

Date: Monday, July 23

Time: 7:30 p.m. (Local), 12:30 p.m. (BST), 7:30 a.m. (ET)

Live Stream: SBS On Demand

Preview

Marc Atkins/Getty Images

Although it was assumed for a long time that Sarri would be taking over at Chelsea this summer, the fact it’s taken so long for him to be appointed will have set the Blues back.

Not only would the players have faced uncertainty when they returned to training, but the Italian manager’s brand of football is renowned for how meticulous it is. Implementing that philosophy properly before the start of the Premier League season is almost an impossible ask.

As relayed by Amadi Tidiane, Blues midfielder Cesc Fabregas has said he is looking forward to having that blueprint implemented:

Getting in Jorginho may be a catalyst at least. The midfielder was so crucial to the way in which Napoli played under Sarri.

In this fixture expect to see the two central defenders splitting and for Jorginho to drop deep into that space. From there the playmaker can manage the game, as he’s so resourceful on the ball; Jorginho can play delicate passes into midfield for team-mates, although he’s just as adept at digging long passes out to the wing.

As these figures indicate, Jorginho is the conductor of Sarri’s possession-based philosophy due to his willingness to get on the ball:

With some key players missing there will be chances for other squad members to make an impression too. Midfielders Tiemoue Bakayoko and Ross Barkley were new additions last term, although neither were able to show their best in their debut Chelsea seasons.

There are also some youngsters who’ll be pushing for more opportunities, including Tammy Abraham, who is back from his loan at Swansea City, and the prodigious Callum Hudson-Odoi.

Perth will seek to unsettle the Blues, especially in their first game adapting to a new style of play. However, in the end you suspect the Premier League side will eventually have too much over the course of 90 minutes here.