The euphoria of winning the Champions League for the very first time in their history has still not died down at Chelsea; step one of their bid to defend their title, begins at Stamford Bridge against the champions of Italy - Juventus.
In other matches, Manchester United host Galatsaray in Group H, while Barcelona are at home to Spartak Moscow as Lionel Messi and his side look to trump the heroics of bitter rivals Real Madrid, after their stirring comeback win against Manchester City on Tuesday. Apart from the Chelsea-Juve match, the Group F game between Valencia and Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena is another one to look out for.
Chelsea now have a different feel to the side that upset Barcelona in the semi-finals and Bayern, in their own park, in the final. Gone is Didier Drogba, the inspirational forward, who almost single-handedly won them the final. That huge gaping hole is yet to be filled by anyone, although Fernando Torres has shown signs of finding his form of old. Chelsea are a much younger team now, with a good blend of youth and experience.
Roberto Di Matteo, in his matches in the English Premier League has mixed caution with aggression, that naturally comes when you have the playmaking skills of Eden Hazard - who has caught on at Chelsea like a house on fire, Juan Mata and Oscar. Torres has seemed happier with the abundance of supply line, although the striker put in a rather abject performance in Saturday's Premier League game against Queens Park Rangers.
"When you are at a big club like Chelsea the pressure is always on to win more trophies and have more success," Di Matteo told reporters. "Everybody was pleased to finally bring the trophy to Stamford Bridge, but that was in the past -- we've done it, now we have to look forward."
In their first European match of the year - the UEFA Super Cup - Chelsea were resoundingly beaten by Radamel Falcao and Atletico Madrid. This, however, is a different cup of tea, and more importantly the opening fixture will be played at home.
Chelsea have no big injury problems, with Mata expected to be back in the starting XI, after he was rested against QPR. The Spaniard's vision was missed on Saturday, and Di Matteo will be hoping the playmaker will help unlock the tough Juve defense. It will also be interesting to see how Hazard shines on the European stage, with the 21-year-old starting life at Stamford Bridge splendidly.
"Juventus have been on a fantastic unbeaten run and have some quality within their team -- experienced players, young players, dynamic players," Di Matteo said. "It's probably one of the most difficult fixtures you could have picked in this Champions League.
"They are a difficult opponent. We have three champions in our group -- the Danish champions and Ukrainian champions -- so it's going to be difficult."
That might be true, but Chelsea and Juventus must fancy themselves to get through the group comfortable, with the other two teams in Group E being Shakhtar Donetsk and Nordsjaelland.
Juventus will be keen to make a big impression in Europe this year. Their plans to bring in a well-known striker to boost their chances in the continent's biggest club competition did not quite go according to plan, with Robin Van Persie signing for Manchester United, Dimitar Berbatov staying in England and the Italians failing to agree a deal with Athletic Bilbao for Fernando Llorente.
Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner has joined Juve on a season-long loan, and will be hoping to make his mark in Europe. Juventus are unbeaten in Serie A in 42 games, a record that goes back to May 15, 2011. The champions have begun well in their domestic league this season, and while they know that Europe is different, expect Juventus to give Chelsea a hard time at Stamford Bridge.
Fixtures for Wednesday: Group E: Shakhtar Donetsk vs Nordjaelland; Chelsea vs Juventus. Group F: Lille vs BATE Borisov; Bayern Munich vs Valencia. Group G: Barcelona vs Spartak Moscow; Celtic vs Benfica. Group H: Manchester United vs Galatasaray; Braga vs CFR Cluj.
LIVE STREAMS AVAILABLE
UEFA Chelsea vs. Juventus Live Stream: Watch Defending Champions Play A Red Hot Italian Club
UEFA Champions League Live Stream: Watch Online Spartak Moscow Vs. Barcelona At 2:45 PM ET
UEFA Champions League Benfica vs. Celtic Live Stream: Watch First Matches of the Tournament for Both Clubs
UEFA Champions League Live Stream: Watch Online Manchester United Vs. Galatasaray In Group H At 2:45 PM ET
UEFA Champions League Live Stream: Watch Online Bayern vs. Valencia In Group F Action At 2:45 PM ET