The world champions return to competitive action on Sunday following a truncated pre-season. Maresca has had fewer than two weeks to work with his squad at Cobham following our successful Club World Cup campaign, but our performances in friendly victories over Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan were impressive.

Palace, who last season won the FA Cup and defeated Liverpool on penalties to claim the Community Shield last weekend, will likely prove a sterner test.

‘We guess we are ready, but we need to wait for the real competition to verify that,' Maresca said in his pre-match press conference. 'As you said, it’s been quite a short break. We are going to try to be ready.

‘Sunday's game will be very difficult. [They won] the Community Shield against Liverpool and the FA Cup against Manchester City. So, in two finals, they beat two of the best teams in England in the last 15 years. So it shows how complicated it will be on Sunday.'

Maresca confirmed Chalobah is fit to face the Eagles after coming off during our pre-season win over Milan. 'It was just too hot for him [against AC Milan],' the Blues head coach joked.

Badiashile and Lavia are 'in the process of coming back' from their respective injuries, while Fofana could be available, but a decision has yet to be taken.

Levi Colwill will miss the game. The Academy graduate underwent ACL surgery earlier this month and will be absent for a prolonged period. Maresca delivered an update on the defender ahead of Sunday's Premier League opener.

‘He is ok, aware he will be out for a long time,' Maresca said. 'It’s a big loss for us. You know how important Levi has been for us last season and the way we want to play. We have said many times that we are able to create chances and attack if we’re able to build up the right way, and Levi was a huge part of our build-up.'

Digital tickets are being issued for all matches at Stamford Bridge this season. Read our What You Need To Know guide to be ready for Crystal Palace – and we urge you to arrive by 1pm on Sunday to ensure you are in your seat for kick-off!