Chelsea managed to get back their Champions League status after missing out last season and they will begin the 2019-20 campaign next week.
The Blues have been drawn in Group H of the UCL along with the likes of Ajax, Lille and Valencia which makes it one of the most entertaining groups in the tournament.
And in the first matchday, Chelsea will welcome La Liga side Valencia to the Stamford Bridge next Tuesday.
But before going into such a high-profile encounter, the Spanish side have chosen to sack their manager Marcelino after just three games into the new La Liga season.
Marcelino was appointed as Valencia boss in May 2017 and last season he helped the club win the Copa del Rey by beating Barcelona along with securing a Champions League spot.
But tensions had been growing between the management and Marcelino over the course of the previous campaign and things have really bubbled up during the summer.
So practically it was only a matter of time before the former Villarreal boss was shown the door.
The Guardian reports: “Lim summonsed the club’s president, Anil Murthy, to Singapore in order to fire the manager. Marcelino did not know about the meeting until reports appeared in the media on Wednesday morning and the official announcement was made in the afternoon.
“The club’s director-general, Mateu Alemany, remains in his post for the time being, although his long‑term position appears untenable. The players are understood to be shocked by the decision, but they knew that this was likely sooner or later.”
Former Spain Under-21s manager Albert Celades has been brought as a replacement to Marcelino and his first game in charge will be against Barcelona following which Valencia travel to Chelsea.
And many believe this will be the perfect opportunity for Frank Lampard to pick up his first UCL win as the Blues manager.
