Coach Maresca upbeat as Blues gear up for new campaign after perfect pre-season

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca expressed confidence ahead of his second season at the West London club, as his team gears up for the new campaign following their Club World Cup triumph and a flawless pre-season.

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Chelsea clinched the Club World Cup in July with an emphatic 3-0 win over European champions Paris St Germain (PSG) in the final, and wrapped up their preseason on Sunday with a commanding 4-1 victory over AC Milan at Stamford Bridge.

Their new forward signings, Joao Pedro and Liam Delap, were both on the scoresheet against Milan, who were reduced to 10 men after defender Andrei Coubis was sent off in the 18th minute.

"I think the performance was very good until the red card. We started the way we wanted - intense and with a high tempo on and off the ball," Maresca said on Saturday.

"The red card changed a little bit the game but it’s also normal as Milan started preseason 40 days ago and this was their sixth friendly."

Chelsea had earlier defeated Bundesliga runners-up Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 in their opening preseason friendly on Friday.

"It's our second one (preseason game). But overall I'm very happy, and now we start the Premier League," the Italian added.