Chelsea will play full strength side against Sydney FC promises Jose Mourinho

THEY may be up against the Sky Blue of Sydney FC, but if the scenes at the airport yesterday are any indication, the Harbour City is about to turn a shade of regal Chelsea blue.

Chelsea FC captain John Terry being helped by security on the way to the team bus. Chelsea FC are in town to play Sydney FC . Picture Craig Greenhill

UPDATE: THEY may be up against the Sky Blue of Sydney FC, but if the scenes at the airport on Sunday are any indication, the Harbour City is about to turn a shade of regal Chelsea blue.

The newly crowned English Premier League champions flew into Sydney on Sunday with arguably the most expensive roster of player talent to hit these shores.

Chelsea’s first Australian visit in 41 years is set to threaten the post-Olympic attendance record for ANZ Stadium as officials find more seating for desperate fans, with a crowd of more than 83,000 expected to see the likes of Diego Costa, Eden Hazard and Loic Remy.

CLASSY ARSENAL GO BACK-TO-BACK IN FA CUP

KING KANE CONQUERS SYDNEY FOR TOTTENHAM

VIDEO: IS THIS MESSI’S BEST GOAL YET?

It would crown a monumental week of sport in Sydney, and ANZ Stadium in particular, less than seven days after 80,122 fans turned out for NSW’s 11-10 State of Origin I loss to Queensland.

That was followed by a crowd of 71,549 to watch Tottenham beat Sydney FC 1-0 on Saturday night, with young English striker Harry Kane delighting the supporters with the winning goal.

Tuesday night’s game will almost certainly push the combined crowd figure for the stadium past 235,000, allowing sports minister Stuart Ayres to crow that Sydney was fighting hard to claim the crown of sporting capital of the country.

Diego Costa and Chelsea FC players were greeted by hundreds of fans in Sydney.

It helps to have visitors with the pulling power of Chelsea, with four English league titles, seven FA Cups, five League Cups, four Community Shields and a Champions League title among their achievements.

Nonetheless Chelsea captain John Terry was careful to present a respectful front on arrival on Sunday about the likely level of opposition the champions will face from Graham Arnold’s squad.

Judging by what greeted them at the airport, the club’s skipper is also anticipating a passionate crowd, after chaotic scenes when they touched down in Sydney from Bangkok, where they beat a Thailand All Stars side 1-0 at the same time as the Sky Blues were playing Spurs.

“It’s going to be huge,” Terry said. “Obviously we’ve watched little bits and a couple of players have come this way from the UK.

“We’ll watch the game they played against Spurs to get a better feel, but we know the standard is going to be very good and it’s going to be good in front of a very big and hostile crowd, supporting both sides I’m sure.

“We get to see little bits (of the A-League), the time difference is difficult. It was nice to play with (Mark) Schwarzer and he obviously filled us in a bit more.

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho at a press conference in Sydney.

“When you do see the games and you look at the stadiums and fans it’s very passionate, very much like the English supporters as well.

The last time the English giants visited Australia was 41 years ago, just building the sense of anticipation - on both sides.

“For many of us it’s our first time here as well,” Terry said. “We pull up at the hotel, there’s a beautiful view straight away and we’re very much looking forward to the game. It’s a long time since the club’s been here, so we’re delighted as a group of players to be here.”

“It’s going to be a real delight for us to be here, firstly, but also to experience that atmosphere. We experienced a small percentage of that at the airport.”

Originally published as Chelsea will play full strength side against Sydney FC promises Jose Mourinho