Chelsea are set to play Servette in the Europa Conference League but fans won’t be watching on TV.
The Blues’ European campaign starts early this season after Manchester United beat Manchester City in the FA Cup, relegating them from the Europa League to the Europa Conference League.
But to qualify for the next stage, Chelsea must first beat Swiss side Servette in a two-legged play-off and fans might have been looking forward to some early European action.
However, they might be disappointed to learn that no TV broadcaster will be showing the clash at Stamford Bridge.
Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea are in action on Thursday night
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TNT Sports has the rights to European football in the United Kingdom – but they do not have the rights for the play-off stage of either the Europa League or Europa Conference League.
They do have the rights to Champions League play-offs – but that is no use to Chelsea fans who are desperate to see their side in action.
The Europa League and Europa Conference League play-offs were not included in the broadcast package offered to TV station in the United Kingdom.
However, there is a last resort for those keen on seeing the Blues in action – for a fee.
Chelsea will be showing both legs on their official website and app but fans must pay £4.99 to gain access to the stream.
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New boss Enzo Maresca is desperate to get the London side up and running this season after losing their Premier League opener to Manchester City on Sunday.
It has been a turbulent summer at Stamford Bridge where there have been seismic changes to the squad after another wild transfer window.
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Chelsea vs Servette is not on TV but there is a solution for desperate fans
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Chelsea also won once over pre-season, clocking up a 3-0 win over Club America while also drawing against League One outfit Wrexham and losing to Celtic, City, Inter Milan and Real Madrid.
But victory over Servette, where the second leg will take place in Switzerland on August 29 at Stade de Geneve, will see them progress to the next stage which will take place under new rules.
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Chelsea lost their first game of the season against Manchester City
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Whereas before European competitions saw four clubs face off against one another in groups, all 36 teams will now be included in one big league.
The top eight clubs after the six games played will advance directly to the round of 16 while sides that finish from ninth to 24th will have to fight it out in play-offs to reach the knockout stages.