The players returned to training at Cobham on a beautiful autumnal morning with focus switching to the UEFA Conference League and our high-profile meeting with Panathinaikos.
Two of the biggest names in the competition go head-to-head in Athens on Thursday night, with Chelsea looking to secure a second consecutive victory in the league phase after our 4-2 success over Gent on matchday one.
Reece James returned from injury to start the narrow reverse at Liverpool at the weekend, and he was back at it today. The captain is in Chelsea's Conference League squad so will be targeting more minutes in Greece as he builds up his fitness.
‘It was great to be involved again,’ the 24-year-old said after the loss at Liverpool. ‘I missed playing in big games and playing against big players so it was a big step.
‘It’s been a long time since I started a game, and starting here [Anfield] was always going to be tough, but I’m feeling good.
‘The road to recovery has been tough – it definitely hasn’t been easy. I hope to stay strong, keep going, and help the team achieve what we want to achieve.’
Axel Disasi is clear what our target it in the Conference League.
‘Chelsea is renowned for going all the way in European competitions,’ he said in the build-up to Thursday’s game.
‘Also, we know that if we win it, we would be the first ever club to win the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League. That obviously drives us, and it’s clearly our ambition.’
Disasi’s compatriot Christopher Nkunku has been central to our European exploits so far this season, scoring in each of our three Conference League fixtures. He had his shooting boots on once again today.
Two other goalscorers in the win over Gent, Renato Veiga and Pedro Neto, were in the thick of things having made positive impacts off the bench at Anfield.
The Portuguese pair will be hoping to start in the Olympic Stadium and continue to give head coach Enzo Maresca a selection headache during this busy run of fixtures.
The team travel to Greece tomorrow morning and will train for the final time in the evening before we face Panathinaikos in the 75,000-capacity stadium in the north of Athens, where we will be wearing our third kit for the first time.