Premier League giants Chelsea arrive in Western Australia tonight (Thursday) for next week’s friendly against Hyundai A-League side Perth Glory.
It’s the Blues’ second trip Down Under in three years and continues a growing tradition of some big European clubs coming to Australia to face Hyundai A-League opposition.
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We’ve picked out some of the best friendly games in recent years including the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United and Juventus.
MELBOURNE VICTORY v LIVERPOOL – 2013
What an occasion it was at the MCG as more than 98,000 fans stood and sung as one, belting out the Reds’ famous club anthem ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’.
It remains an iconic image in the history of one of the world’s great sporting venues.
With Steven Gerrard pulling the strings, the Reds went on to win 2-0 over Ange Postecoglou’s brave and youthful Victory side.
The trip Down Under proved huge for Liverpool, with Brendan Rodgers’ side going within a whisker of winning the EPL title, only ‘slipping’ up in the final weeks of the season.
HYUNDAI A-LEAGUE ALL STARS v JUVENTUS – 2014
On the back of Juve great Alessandro Del Piero’s amazing impact on the Hyundai A-League, the famous club where he made his name came to Sydney to face the Australian competition’s best.
Del Piero skippered the All Stars against the ‘Old Lady’ of Italian football and it was a thrilling clash in front of more than 55,000 fans at ANZ Stadium.
Goals for Marcelo Carrusca and Tomi Juric looked like snatching a 2-2 draw for the locals until a late Simone Pepe goal won it for Juve.
PERTH GLORY v CELTIC – 2011
Glory last played against UK opposition seven years ago when Scottish champions Celtic came to nib Stadium in a match played following a torrential downpour in the west.
Once the water was cleared and the overcast weather brightened up, more than 15,000 fans were on hand to watch as Glory took the game to the Glasgow giants.
Youngster Adam Taggart produced an impressive cameo off the bench for Glory but it was goals from Gary Hooper and Charlie Mulgrew that allowed Celtic to come away with a hard-fought 2-0 win.
SYDNEY FC v CHELSEA – 2015
As opposed to a pre-season friendly, this match happened after the Premier League season in which the Blues won the title.
Jose Mourinho had the majority of his stars on hand at ANZ Stadium to play the Sky Blues, who were themselves beaten in the Hyundai A-League Grand Final the previous month.
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In the end it was a solitary goal from Frenchman Loic Remy that split the sides, the attacker smashing an unstoppable shot past Sydney keeper Vedran Janjetovic.
The Sky Blues almost snatched an equaliser at the death as Seb Ryall scrambled home what looked like a goal, only to be denied by the referee for a foul in the build-up.
BRISBANE ROAR v LIVERPOOL – 2015
Following their success in Melbourne a couple of years prior, Liverpool returned and went to Brisbane to take on the Roar in front of more than 50,000 fans at a chilly Suncorp Stadium.
In John Aloisi’s first game in charge of the Roar, the home side took the lead through Dimitri Petratos before Liverpool hit back through Adam Lallana.
It wasn’t until 15 minutes from time the Reds got their winner via a goal from James Milner.
HYUNDAI A-LEAGUE ALL STARS v MANCHESTER UNITED – 2013
After the trophy-laden Sir Alex Ferguson era ended, David Moyes’ first game in charge of the Red Devils was a happy one, winning 5-1 over an All Stars side which featured the likes of Besart Berisha and Thomas Broich.
More than 82,000 fans were on hand at ANZ Stadium to see the likes of Robin van Persie and a young Jesse Lingard steal the show for the Red Devils, while Berisha scored the All Stars’ only goal.
But it proved to be a false dawn for Moyes, who was out of a job at United after the next EPL season.
