Levi Colwill cannot wait to be back in front of the Stamford Bridge faithful on Sunday as our pre-season campaign comes to a close against Serie A champions Inter Milan.
It has been almost three months since the final whistle blew on our 2023/24 campaign with a home victory over Bournemouth
Since then, Enzo Maresca has been appointed our new head coach, the European Championship and Copa America have taken place, and the Blues' summer tour of the USA has been undertaken.
After a lengthy absence from west London, the focus now switches to Stamford Bridge on Sunday. We host Inter in our final friendly of the summer, which will be played a week before Premier League action begins with the visit of Manchester City.
The visit of Inter will be a day to welcome our new head coach Maresca to SW6, alongside several new players, and Colwill is looking forward to reuniting with the Chelsea support.
‘Being back at the Bridge with our fans is very exciting,’ he said. 'I don’t think they understand how much we miss hearing them over the summer. It’s definitely going to be exciting, and we will need them for the whole season, just like we did last year.’
A serious spectacle awaits on the pitch, too. The Italian champions will provide more stern opposition to prepare us for our league campaign and Colwill is clear about the significance of a positive performance and result.
‘We have to go into the Inter Milan game and act like it’s the first game of the season.
‘They are a great team. They were in the Champions League final two seasons ago so they have a lot to offer, and they will challenge us, so to get a win would hopefully set us on a good path for the rest of the season.’