Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has revealed why Thiago Silva will be rested for their Champions League opener against Dinamo Zagreb.
The Blues will kick off their European adventure for the campaign with a trip to Croatia on Tuesday evening as they compete in Group E of the illustrious competition.
AC Milan and FC Salzburg are their other opponents in the group, with this season’s scheduling proving to be a lot tighter due to the World Cup later this year.
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Chelsea’s 23-man squad that travelled for the game was revealed on Monday afternoon, with Deadline Day signings Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Denis Zakaria both being included.
However, there were two notable omissions in N’Golo Kante and Silva.
Ahead of the match, Tuchel revealed why the latter will not be involved against Zagreb, and he also spoke on the availability of newcomers Aubameyang and Zakaria.
“We decided with Thiago that he will have a break from the travelling and the stress after playing every minute so far in very intense matches.
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“It was the moment to give him a break instead of putting him on the bench and having the travel issues. He takes care of his recovery.
“We had the opportunity to take everyone who was in training and available to Zagreb to do our last training.
“That included Denis and Auba. He had a test with his mask, felt fine, felt normal. If everything goes well today they will both be available.”
Fellow summer additions Kalidou Koulibaly, Marc Cucurella, Wesley Fofana and Carney Chukwuemeka have been included in the squad.
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Mateo Kovacic could also feature on Tuesday night, with the Croatian international returning to his former club.
He broke into the first team at Dinamo Zagreb in 2010 having come through their academy, before joining Inter Milan and Real Madrid in the lead-up to his move to Chelsea.
The 28-year-old spoke on the occasion ahead of the match: "It's really nice to be here. It is a really good feeling to be in Zagreb, see the people I haven't seen in a long time. I have only now realised how much of a long time it has been.
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“I am looking forward to the match tomorrow in a full stadium. I am a Dinamo fan.
"I have very many family and friends coming here but I have been able to get tickets for them."
He has just returned to the side from injury, but was able to provide a positive update on his fitness when he added: “I’m getting better. I had some problems with my knee after national team and in pre-season.
“Was a tough pre-season for me. I have recovered and am getting better day by day. I need to get my sharpness and fitness back but games and training are there for it so I’m looking forward to being better every day.”
Topics: Chelsea, Thomas Tuchel, Thiago Silva, Champions League
Robert Calcutt