The Premier League

There will be some familiar faces among the top flight’s new boys – Brentford, Norwich and Watford. The Canaries have midfield prodigy Billy Gilmour on loan all season and, along with the Hornets, they were only relegated from the top flight in 2019/20. Thomas Frank’s Brentford side are the Premier League’s first novices since the elevation of Brighton and Huddersfield in 2017/18.

All three bring long winless runs at the Bridge, with the Hornets’ last top-flight win in our stadium coming 10 games ago on 5 May 1986. Norwich have endured seven without a win since 16 October 1993, while the Bees have won only once at Chelsea – way back on 25 February 1939 in the old Division One.

Having just finished above Arsenal for the fifth successive season Chelsea are just eight behind the Gunners on total Premier League points accrued since 1992/93.

Although Fulham were relegated, league games against local neighbours continue in the shape of the Bees – top-flight visitors to the Bridge only five times previously, and most recently for a 3-2 Chelsea win 75 years ago in November 1946. The Blues have not lost any west London derby since January 2013.

With the crowds back in grounds fewer top-flight games will be broadcast live. Sky Sports has the rights to 128 matches, BT Sport 52, and Amazon Prime Video 20, amounting to 200 (or 52.6 per cent) of the total 380.

Clubs playing in the Champions League on Wednesday will no longer be picked to play in the 12.30pm slot the following Saturday.

The Champions League

This will be Chelsea’s 18th Champions League campaign in 22 seasons, and the second as reigning champions, securing a place in pot 1. The group-stage draw which will take place in Nyon from 5pm on Thursday 26 August.Once again Stamford Bridge is the only place in London to watch elite European football, with potential opponents including: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, Sevilla and Dortmund from Pot 2; plus two from Porto, Ajax, Leipzig, Atalanta, Zenit, Besiktas, Dynamo Kyiv, Bruges and others yet to qualify for pots 3 and 4.

There is more breathing space between our European outings than was the case last season, and five of Chelsea’s six weekend matches following them will be at home, one on the road.

NB All fixtures may be moved for live TV.

The rule which gave more weight to goals scored by the away team to separate teams in a knockout tie has been binned by UEFA for the start of this campaign. It has helped decide the outcome of tied games since 1965. Chelsea won ties against Austria Vienna and Paris Saint-Germain thanks to the rule.

Instead, in the event of an aggregate draw after 90 minutes, two halves of 15 minutes will be played and, if necessary, penalty kicks will be taken.

Sleeve patches will be permitted on shirts this season. Chelsea’s UEFA ball badge will sport the number two, representing our competition wins so far.

Live coverage of all games is on BT Sport.

The FA Cup

Replays are back for the 141st instalment the football’s oldest club competition, up to and including the fourth round proper. The final is booked for Saturday 21 May 2022 at Wembley. The 150th anniversary of the first ever final, between Wanderers and Royal Engineers, is on 16 March 2022.

Chelsea’s recent record in the FA Cup

2020/21 Runners-up2019/20 Runners-up2018/19 Round 52017/18 Winners2016/17 Runners-up2015/16 Quarter-finalists

Live TV coverage this season is free-to-air on BBC (18 matches) and ITV (20).

The Carabao Cup

Chelsea join the 62nd League Cup campaign in round three, along with other clubs contesting European competitions. Like last season the semi-finals are one-off ties, and Wembley will host the final on Sunday 27 February 2022. The winners qualify for next season’s Europa Conference play-off round.

The draw for third round ties will take place towards the end of August with ties set to be played Tuesday 22/Wednesday 23 September.

Chelsea’s recent record in the League Cup

2020/21 Round 42019/20 Round 42018/19 Runners-up2017/18 Semi-finalists2016/17 Round 42015/16 Round 4

Live TV coverage is on Sky Sports, highlights on Quest.

UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup

Winning the Champions League instantly lands two additional stabs at silverware. Unai Emery’s Villarreal are the opponents in the one-off Super Cup to be played in Belfast’s Windsor Park on Wednesday, an 8pm kick-off. We beat the current coach of the Europa League holders 4-1 in the 2019 final of that competition when he was at Arsenal.

The FIFA Club World Cup tournament is set to held in Japan in December, though specific dates have yet to be fixed. The Blues will enter at the semi-final stage with potential opponents including the J-League title-holders, plus the Champions Leagues winners from Asia, CONCACAF, Oceania, and South America.

Al-Ahly of Egypt, coached by a South African, Pitso ‘Jingles’ Mosimane, have already claimed the African federation berth, but the final list of entrants will not be completed until November.

Success in both would see the Blues supersede Manchester United in major international competition wins. The Club World Cup is one of the only competitions any Chelsea team at any level has entered but is yet to win.

Live coverage of the Super Cup will be on BT Sport. Club World Cup matches will be on BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and mobile app, and the BBC Red Button.

International football dates

FIFA have set aside the following dates for international matches: 30 August–8 September, 4-12 October, 8-16 November, 21-29 March.

All confederations except UEFA will also have an extra slot from 24 January to 1 February 2022, postponed from September 2020.

For the first time in five years the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations is set to take place during a Premier League season, from 9 January to 6 February in Cameroon. Should Hakim Ziyech or Edouard Mendy reach the final they could miss four or five Chelsea games across all competitions.

VAR, Season 3

Despite mixed reviews last season, VAR in the Premier League returns for series three, with important changes and clarifications, some in response to the great success of the swift and unobtrusive approach to reviews at the Euros.

Chiefly, there will be a higher threshold for interventions with the aim of maintaining the flow of the game and acknowledging the physical nature of the sport. VAR officials will overlook trivial misdemeanours and focus on the major decisions that influence the match outcome.

On marginal offside decisions the Premier League is moving to more of a European model. The attacking and defensive player will still be picked out by a single pixel, but thicker lines will then be drawn and if they intersect the player is now considered onside, allowing the attacker some leeway.

It is reckoned 20 goals ruled out last season would stand in 2021/22. Broadcasters will no longer have the build-up feed showing how a decision is reached at Stockley Park, just the final graphic.

This higher threshold will also affect penalty decisions at ground level, supported by a more sympathetic approach to what the VAR considers a ‘clear and obvious error’ by the referee.

Accidental handball has been clarified in two key areas. Where a hand or arm struck by the ball is in a position you would expect and has not moved away from the body, the player is less likely to be penalised. Inadvertent handling in the build up to a goal will only be penalised if it is scored immediately after or directly from the contact.

There will also be fewer instances of assistants delaying an offside call until a shot has been attempted or ball goes out of play. Now, when entirely confident a player is offside, and/or in a wide position, not threatening the goal, the official will immediately raise a flag.

What else is new?

This season’s main Premier League match ball is the grey, black and orange Nike Aerowsculpt – almost reminiscent of Chelsea’s cult 1994-96 away kit colours.

Four clubs have appointed new coaches: Tottenham have taken on Nuno Espirito Santo, with Bruno Lage replacing him at Wolves. Rafa Benitez has joined Everton, and our opening day opponents Crystal Palace have appointed Patrick Vieira.

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) confirmed competition organisers have the option of allowing teams to use up to five substitutes until the end of 2022, but this has previously been rejected in England. The trialling of up to two concussion substitutes will continue, however. Club doctors will also have access to TV replays to aid rapid assessment.

The Referees Select Group 1, the pool from which the Premier League draws, has risen to 22 in number with the promotion of four new whistlers: John Brooks (Leicestershire), Jarred Gillett (the first Australian to have the honour), Tony Harrington (Teesside) and Michael Salisbury (Lancashire). None has previously officiated a Chelsea match. Wade Smith is the only new referee’s assistant. Lee Mason retired as an on-pitch referee but will be a dedicated Video Assistant Referee (VAR) this season.

In the third and final part of Pre-Season Briefing on Monday, we look at the anniversaries and milestones that await...