With one week to go until Chelsea return to the UEFA Champions League, our squad for the competition has been submitted and here we outline which players have made the list…
The Blues are back in Champions League action next week, with Stamford Bridge hosting Valencia on matchday one of the new campaign on Tuesday 17 September. UEFA rules stipulate that each club must submit an A list of players and a B list of players for involvement in the competition.
Who can be on the A List?
No club may have more than 25 players on List A during the season. As a minimum, eight places are reserved exclusively for ‘locally trained’ or homegrown players and if a club has less than eight players to fill these spots, the maximum number of players on List A is reduced accordingly.
A homegrown player is someone who has either been on the club’s books for three years between the ages of 15 and 21 (‘club-trained player’), or a player who has been on another club’s books in the same association for three years between the ages of 15 and 21 (association-trained player). No club can have more than four association-trained players among their eight homegrown players on List A.
The Blues have submitted five homegrown players on List A this season. Andreas Christensen, Tammy Abraham, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Fikayo Tomori all qualify as club-trained players, while Ross Barkley is an association-trained player following his 13 years at Everton.
What is the B List?
A player may be included on the B List if he is born on or after 1 January 1998 and has been eligible to play for the club for an uninterrupted period of two years since his 15th birthday. Clubs are entitled to register an unlimited number of players on List B during the season, although the list must be submitted the day before each match.
Mason Mount, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Reece James and Jamie Cumming are all included as under-21 players on this list.
Can the lists be changed during the season?
While the B list can be updated throughout the season, List A can only be changed once in between the group stage and the last-16. A maximum of three new players can be registered, though the overall limit of 25 players must not be exceeded.
When are Chelsea’s Champions League fixtures and who do we face?
Chelsea’s Champions League A List
2. Antonio Rudiger
3. Marcos Alonso
4. Andreas Christensen (HG)
5. Jorginho
7. N'Golo Kante
8. Ross Barkley (HG)
9. Tammy Abraham (HG)
10. Willian
11. Pedro
12. Ruben Loftus-Cheek (HG)
13. Willy Caballero
15. Kurt Zouma
17. Mateo Kovacic
18. Olivier Giroud
22. Christian Pulisic
23. Michy Batshuayi
28. Cesar Azpilicueta
29. Fikayo Tomori (HG)
33. Emerson
Chelsea’s Champions League B List
19. Mason Mount
20. Callum Hudson-Odoi
24. Reece James
31. Jamie Cumming
44. Marc Guehi
45. George McEachran
47. Billy Gilmour