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Jake Stokes

Chelsea name 21-man squad for RB Salzburg Champions League clash amid Kalidou Koulibaly dilemma

Chelsea have confirmed the squad which has travelled to Austria to face RB Salzburg in the Champions League. The Blues drew 1-1 with the Die Roten Bullen in September, marking the start of Graham Potter's tenure at Stamford Bridge.

The west Londoners head into the penultimate group stage clash top of Group E on seven points. Salzburg sit second on six points, while AC Milan and Dinamo Zagreb both sit on four points, with only one goal clinching third for the Italian giants.

Chelsea will be hoping to extend their seven-game unbeaten run under Potter, winning five of their previous eight games. A win against Salzburg will confirm the Blues' place in the knockout stages.

READ MORE: Chelsea, Arsenal, West Ham fans vent anger at 'unacceptable' Premier League Boxing Day decision

However, the Blues have a handful of injuries to contend with after Kalidou Koulibaly missed training at Cobham on Monday morning prior to the flight. The 31-year-old, who has a knee injury, was not fit enough to make the squad to face Manchester United at the weekend.

As a result, Koulibaly is unavailable, while Wesley Fofana, Reece James and N'Golo Kante remain absent. Speaking to Chelsea TV, Potter explained the difficulties that the club currently face amid a congested fixture schedule.

"The group looks a little different absolutely because of the results we've had, we had a really tough game against them at Stamford Bridge in the first game that I had," the former Brighton boss said. "So I'll always remember that experience.

"We've put ourselves into a better position because of the results against Milan, but at the same time, we know we need to finish the job, and we need to get more points. We haven't got enough as it is. So we face a tough opponent, but you know we're going to get there motivated, and we'll give our best.

"My expectations for the game are another tough match. They have a clear idea of how they want to play, a clear idea in terms of attacking and defending, very intense, very direct, incredibly well organised, good players.

"So it's a top team. It's a good team. We need to be good to play, and we need to be brave, and we need to try to bring our game to the match."

Full squad:

Goalkeepers: Kepa Arrizabalaga, Edouard Mendy, Marcus Bettinelli

Defenders: Marc Cucurella, Thiago Silva, Trevoh Chalobah, Ben Chilwell, Cesar Azpilicueta

Midfielders: Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Mason Mount, Denis Zakaria, Conor Gallagher, Carney Chukwuemeka

Forwards: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Christian Pulisic, Raheem Sterling, Armando Broja, Hakim Ziyech, Kai Havertz

READ NEXT:

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Kalidou Koulibaly misses training due to injury ahead of key Champions League clash

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