Chelsea vs Bayer Leverkusen: Pre-season preview, team news, kick-off time & how to watch

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Absolute Chelsea

·7 de agosto de 2025

Chelsea vs Bayer Leverkusen: Pre-season preview, team news, kick-off time & how to watch

Chelsea face Bayer Leverkusen in the first of their two pre-season fixtures to prepare for the upcoming 2025/26 campaign.

After their Conference League and Club World Cup triumphs, Chelsea are ready to do it all over again and it begins on Friday.

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Enzo Maresca's side reported back for pre-season duty on Monday and have a total of two weeks' preparations to get ready for their Premier League opener against Crystal Palace on August 17.

Chelsea have welcomed many signings already to the club this summer, including Liam Delap, Jamie Gittens, Joao Pedro, Dario Essugo, Estevao Willian and Jorrel Hato.

Maresca has confirmed he will look to share the minutes against Leverkusen on Friday as they rebuild their match sharpness.

IMAGO / Nicolo Campo

"We are going to try for sure to share minutes with all of the players," previewed Maresca. "Some of them like Hato started pre-season very early compared to us.

"So we are going to try to share minutes with all of them and we will see if we are going to try some different tactical things for the season.

"It is important to see where we are, but knowing that I could see in the last few days where we are physically."

However, Chelsea will be without Levi Colwill after the 22-year-old successfully underwent surgery after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in training this week.

Meanwhile, Wesley Fofana is not quite ready to return for the warm-up matches, but could be available next weekend to face Crystal Palace.

Friday's fixture, the first of two VisitMalta Weekender matches, could offer the likes of Hato, Estevao and Gittens to play their first minutes in Chelsea shirts.