The WA, national and international media were out in force at Optus Stadium as Chelsea and Glory held a joint press conference ahead of Monday’s prestige friendly.
With a spectacular vista of the Swan River providing the backdrop and the FA Cup trophy prominently on display, Tony Popovic, Andy Keogh, Liam Reddy, Maurizio Sarri, Cesc Fabregas and David Luiz were all asked for their thoughts on the friendly clash which is expected to draw a crowd of over 50,000 fans, a record attendance for a football match here in WA.
What they said:
Tony Popovic
“It’s a fantastic coup for the club, the A-League and Perth as a city to play such an opponent. We want to put on a good performance and we’re looking forward to it. The players would agree that it’s a very long pre-season, but when you know that you’re playing someone like Chelsea at the start of it, it really helps break it up. The players are excited and want to put on a show.”
Maurizio Sarri
“It’s my first time in Australia and I’m very happy to be here. My first impression of Perth is a very good one. The stadium and the training pitch are also very good.
“I don’t really know what to expect from my team; I have only been with them for four days!”
Cesc Fabregas
“I have a friend living here who told me that it’s a very nice place and now I’m here, I have to agree with him. The training facilities are great, thank you so much for welcoming us here.
“Hopefully we can put in a good performance on Monday and make all our fans happy.”
David Luiz
“The people here have been very welcoming and I thank everyone for that. On Monday we will look to put in a good performance and create some memories for the kids that come to watch the game.”
Andy Keogh
“As the boss [Tony Popovic] said, Chelsea are a team that know how to win over and over again and competing against them on Monday is a great challenge that will really propel us into our first competitive game of the season in a couple of weeks’ time in the FFA Cup.”
Liam Reddy
“As a ‘keeper, I’m hoping not to be too busy! It’s an opportunity for the fans to see the Premier League stars play live and I know my own kids are really excited about it. I’ve just got to make sure that they cheer for Perth, not Chelsea!”