Chelsea name 24-player squad for the UEFA Champions League
Chelsea have named their 24-player squad for the Champions League group stages. Seven of the new signings have been included in the squad as published on the official UEFA Website (h/t football.london).
The Blues will kick off their Champions League campaign this Tuesday evening with a trip to Croatia to take on Dinamo Zagreb. New signings Raheem Sterling, Marc Cucurella, Kalidou Koulibaly, Wesley Fofana, Carney Chukwuemeka, Denis Zakaria and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have all been included.
A notable absentee is striker Armando Broja. This leaves Aubameyang as the only natural striker in the team. Broja being dropped will raise some eyebrows and disappoint some sections of the fans.
Chelsea have been placed in Group E this season with Dinamo Zagreb, AC Milan and FC Salzburg. The Italian champions are going to be our biggest rivals in the group but that does not mean the Tuchel can take it easy with the others.
The Blues made it to the quarter-finals last season before losing to eventual champions Real Madrid. However, this time the team has become stronger and fans will hope for better progression in this campaign. Tuchel led the Blues to victory in his first season in charge during the 2020/21 season.
The last game of the group stage will be on November 3 with Zagreb visiting north London. The team will play Milan on October 6 at Stamford Bridge and travel to face them on October 12.
It remains to be seen who will start the game in the first match. Aubameyang could make his debut if the player is good to play. If not, it is likely that Kai Havertz will lead the line. Edouard Mendy is likely to start in goal ahead of Kepa Arrizabalaga.
More Chelsea News:
- Chelsea tried to sign Romeo Lavia on transfer deadline day
- Thomas Tuchel opens up on Ben Chilwell after Chelsea vs West Ham United
- Tuchel agrees with the VAR decision as Chelsea trump West Ham United
The squad is: Kepa Arrizabalaga, Marcus Bettinelli, Edouard Mendy, Thiago Silva, Trevoh Chalobah, Ben Chilwell, Reece James, Kalidou Koulibaly, Cesar Azpilicueta, Marc Cucurella, Wesley Fofana, Raheem Sterling, Jorginho, N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, Christian Pulisic, Mason Mount, Denis Zakaria, Conor Gallagher, Hakim Ziyech, Kai Havertz, Carney Chukwuemeka, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Ruben Loftus-Cheek.