Is Chelsea vs Bayer Leverkusen on TV? Kick-off time, channel and how to watch pre-season friendly today | OneFootball

Chelsea face Bayer Leverkusen in the first of their pre-season friendlies tonight, with the Blues beginning their late preparations just a week ahead of the new season.

Enzo Maresca’s side have already enjoyed a pre-season preparation of sorts as they earned a surprise win in the Club World Cup, with Cole Palmer and Moises Caicedo once again key as the Blues surprised many by winning the inaugural edition of the new competition.

New signings Joao Pedro and Liam Delap blended well with the squad in the USA, but Maresca will want to put the finishing touches on trying to gel his team ahead of a return to the Champions League and a potential title challenge, with the squad having had less than a month of rest.

And the Italian will be keen to get back up and running with two friendlies in quick succession, with the season getting underway against Crystal Palace in just 10 days’ time.

The match will take place on Friday, 8 August at Stamford Bridge in London, with kick-off set for 7pm BST.

The match will be shown on TV on Channel 5 in the UK, with coverage starting at 6.30pm BST. Subscribers can also stream the action via Channel 5’s website.

The majority of Chelsea’s squad have not played since the Club World Cup so Maresca should have almost a fully fit squad, though Levi Colwill has sustained a knock and could be out for the near future. He is joined by Wesley Fofana on the sidelines.

New signings Jamie Gittens, Jorrel Hato and Estevao could make their debuts, while Pedro and Delap could also make their home debuts.

Romeo Lavia, Dario Essugo and Enzo Fernandez were injury concerns in the aftermath of the Club World Cup win, though the three-week recovery period means they should all be fit to feature again.

Chelsea are only playing two pre-season fixtures due to their involvement in the Club World Cup, with the Blues having enjoyed less than a month off since winning that competition on 13 July. Their two fixtures are below: