Perth Glory vs Chelsea Predictions, Betting Tips and Match Previews

Chelsea kick off their latest new era this week, as Maurizio Sarri faces his first game in charge of the Blues. After a drawn out attempt to get him away from Napoli, they finally have their replacement for Antonio Conte. Just nine days after Sarri was brought in to take charge at Stamford Bridge, he takes charge of their opening preseason clash in Australia. They open up the Optus Stadium in this glamour clash with Perth Glory, but will they come out on top against the A-League side?

Sarri is certainly going to change things at Chelsea, he’s a big departure from Conte. While the demanding former boss was desperate for a high-intensity style, he was more reserved in attack. The new Italian in charge played football with Napoli last season which Pep Guardiola was in awe of. Sarrismo – the name of Sarri’s particular style of play – is going to take some time for the squad to get used to. From the 3-4-3 which they’ve played under for two years, the Blues are going back to 4-3-3; but this is going to be very different than Jose Mourinho’s approach.

Sarri’s Napoli like to play out from the back, which could offer a way back for David Luiz. Antonio Rudiger is also set to play a big part going forward. The new boss has a specific idea for each of his three central midfielders; which led to him bringing Jorginho with him from the San Paolo. He’s going to be the hub of the midfield, with most of the play flowing through him. Tiemoue Bakayoko is set to deputise for N’Golo Kante in the holding role this week, while Sarri is stuck for a Marek Hamsik-like scoring midfielder. With the most likely option – Ruben Loftus-Cheek – still away after the World Cup, Cesc Fabregas is likely to start on Monday.

It’s going to be interesting to see how much of Sarri’s style is present in this clash. He’s had just nine days to influence his side, so there’s a long way to go. Perhaps it will be easier with second choice players who all need to prove themselves after a poor season. They should expect to make an impression against Perth Glory; who are now coached by former Crystal Palace man Tony Popovic. The hosts struggled domestically last season, and they shouldn’t cause too many issues for the Blues.

With eight wins in 10 club friendlies, the Blues tend to do well during the summer months. They’re heavy favourites to win here, and we expect the Premier League side to dominate. The underperformance of their players last season could actually help them in this clash. Many of their stars failed to earn World Cup places, including the likes of Alvaro Morata and Marcos Alonso. They’re set to start with a strong side despite many players missing, so we expect a quality display. We’re backing Chelsea on the half-time/full-time market, along with a 3-0 victory for the Blues.