Fifth final
The Blues are appearing in this European showpiece fixture for the fifth time after seeing off Manchester City in Porto in the final in May to clinch a second Champions League triumph for the club.
Timo Werner is set to lead the Blues line, supported by Kai Havertz and Hakim Ziyech who scored twice against Tottenham Hotspur and Mason Mount.
Tuchel on task
Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel is known to be a hard taskmaster. Hired as Chelsea boss in January 2021, after being fired by Paris Saint-Germain, the German tasted success immediately leading Chelsea to Champions League crown, where they beat the then newly-crowned Premier League champions and archrivals Manchester City 1-0 in the decider in Porto.
"What nicer thing than to start the season with a European final. We'll take it very, very seriously and do as best we can to take the next trophy home," Tuchel was quoted as saying by UEFA.com when asked about the Super Cup tie.
Villarreal's strengths
On the other hand, Gerard Moreno is expected to lead the attack for Villareal, who had defeated the formidable Manchester United en route to clinching the Europa League crown.
They will be missing attacker Samuel Chukwueze though as he remains sidelined due to a hamstring injury.
Praise for Emery
Villarreal is coached by former PSG/Arsenal boss Unai Emery and his opposite number Tuchel was lavish in his praise for the Spaniard.
"I've huge respect for Villarreal and I've huge respect for Unai Emery. I mean, they can call the (UEFA Europa League) trophy the Unai Emery trophy soon! This guy is incredible. He's played five finals and won it four times - this is crazy."
"And with Spanish teams, you've to be very careful. They love this game, and they play this game for ball possession, and they play it with lots and lots of genuine courage. So I think they'll approach this game feeling that they've nothing to lose.