Chelsea

Here are the confirmed lineups for Chelsea's trip to Dinamo Zagreb for today's opening Champions League game.

This time around the west London club are in a group with AC Milan, RB Salzburg and tonight's opposition Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb. Now that the European games have started, the schedule does not get any easier for the players. The team currently sit sixth in the Premier League table, however, Tuesday night's game sees them kick start their Champions League campaign. Dinamo Zagreb Team Chelsea Team Dinamo Zagreb vs Chelsea

There is a Chelsea debut for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and a return in goal for Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Aubameyang leads the attack alongside Raheem Sterling and Havertz, while Mount and Mateo Kovacic are in midfield, the latter making his return to former club Dinamo Zagreb. Kepa is between the posts behind an expected back three of Wesley Fofana, Kalidou Koulibaly and Azpilicueta, with Reece James and Ben Chilwell at wing-back, the latter making his 50th Chelsea start following a match-changing cameo against the Hammers. There is a Chelsea debut for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and a return in goal for Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Chelsea signed the former Arsenal striker for a reported £10 million on deadline day, and the former Blues winger thinks it was a smart deal.

Some of his deliveries, I wish I was a striker in those positions.” I think he’s someone in big games who Chelsea look to make the difference.” And I think he’s becoming a leader in the dressing room. [James commits to Chelsea with bumper six-year contract deal](https://www.eurosport.co.uk/football/premier-league/2022-2023/chelsea-defender-reece-james-signs-new-five-year-contract-at-stamford-bridge-with-option-of-a-furthe_sto9126249/story.shtml) [Tuchel reveals Aubameyang could make debut in Champions League tie](https://www.eurosport.co.uk/football/chelsea-manager-thomas-tuchel-reveals-pierre-emerick-aubameyang-could-make-debut-in-champions-league-tie_vid1744202/video.shtml) [Madrid to retain? Champions League predictions](https://www.eurosport.co.uk/football/champions-league/2022-2023/real-madrid-to-retain-erling-haaland-to-shine-liverpool-to-flop-inside-europe-champions-league-2022_sto9126385/story.shtml) “He scored 11 goals in 17 for Barcelona, he does everything Chelsea need; he gets on the shoulder, he’s a finisher, he’s a proven goalscorer and it’s a great bit of business”.

Thomas Tuchel could give Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang his Chelsea debut on Tuesday night, but their newest signing will have to wear a mask to protect his jaw ...

He is very ambitious, very focused and hungry to play for us and to prove a point. Tuchel was Jurgen Klopp's successor in 2015, and Aubameyang left shortly after the German's controversial departure in May 2017. Aubameyang has been forced to wear a mask due to the injuries sustained, and he's already been spotted wearing it in training. The striker is no stranger to wearing a mask, as he's become well known for celebrating with a collection of face coverings during his time at Saint Etienne, Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal. "He has taken care with his recovery, we have been able to bring everybody to do our last training here in Zagreb," Tuchel said on Monday. [Thomas Tuchel](https://www.dailystar.co.uk/latest/thomas-tuchel) is ready to unleash his new signing and has urged Aubameyang to 'prove a point'.

Live coverage of the Champions League group E match between Dinamo Zagreb and Chelsea at the Stadion Maksimir in Zagreb. AC Milan and Salzburg are the other ...

Chelsea beat West Ham 2-1 on Saturday and there are some changes to their team. Sterling and Auba play a one-two and the forrmer's goalbound effort is blocked by Ristovski! Zagreb win the ball in their own half and they counter at breakneck speed! Very little to report here, at the moment. Since the goal, Zagreb have been in complete control and Ademi could've even made it two. Ristovski tries his luck from 25 yards and Kepa has to dive to his left to tip onto the woodwork!

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is preparing to make his debut for Chelsea, donning a face mask, with the former Arsenal striker returning to the Premier League ...

He said: “I needed a mask which represents me and that's the Black Panther. The second time, it was my son’s birthday, when I was playing for Dortmund. It was a tribute to a goalkeeper at the club, Jeremie Janot. “On his birthday, I put the mask on to celebrate that. So he would be okay but we need to check it and we need to check it with no contact, half-contact, and then full contact. A bow for the Blues has been delayed slightly due to an unfortunate injury being picked up.

Piere Aubameyang of Chelsea. Getty. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Chelsea Chelsea Football Club. Mateo Kovacic Chelsea 2022-23 Getty.

WHAT THEY SAID: Kovacic has said of having Aubameyang on board at Stamford Bridge: “I can say he will be a big addition to us. It’s normal for him to score goals and I hope he will do it here at Chelsea also.” The Blues invested heavily in Romelu Lukaku during the summer of 2021, but quickly decided that he was not right to lead their line and the Belgian has subsequently returned to Inter on loan.

How to watch Dinamo Zagreb vs Chelsea on TV and stream the game live in the U.S., UK and more.

With five goals in eight league games, Mislav Orsic has been a standout player for Dinamo Zagreb in front of goal this season. Cacic rested several players, including captain Arijan Ademi during the weekend's league win against Rijeka. Viewers in the U.S. The Croatian side has been performing well in their domestic league, having won seven and drawn one out of a total of eight league matches. Thomas Tuchel, who guided his team to European success two seasons ago, will be hoping for another brilliant campaign as they kick off their group stage as part of Group E, which also has RB Salzburg and AC Milan. [BT Sport 4 ](https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=3041&awinaffid=918243&clickref=SEOMatchPreview&platform=dl&ued=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bt.com%2Fsport%2Fwatch%2Flive-now)will show the game between Dinamo Zagreb and Chelsea in the UK and it can also be streamed live online via the [BT Player](https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=3041&awinaffid=918243&clickref=SEOMatchPreview&platform=dl&ued=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bt.com%2Fsport%2Fwatch%2Flive-now).

Ex-Blue midfielder Pat Nevin speaks on Thomas Tuchel under no pressure to succeed and Wesley Fofana being worth every penny.

They wouldn't have had the quality. They have a very strong squad now and I think Todd Boehly will be demanding top four, but they're a way off challenging for league titles." You're asking a lot of Chelsea if you want them to win trophies at the moment because they're in a massive transitional period. [Wesley Fofana](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/wesley-fofana/profil/spieler/475411) and [Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/pierre-emerick-aubameyang/profil/spieler/58864) and how they would impact the team. "The new directors are very cool. If Chelsea really needed Fofana - which they did - then the fee they paid is absolutely the right number and if they hadn't signed him this season then I don't think they would've finished in the top four.

Thomas Tuchel has been speaking to Rio Ferdinand about how the summer period has been one of the "most difficult" moments in his managerial career.

We lose key players – one of the captains in the dressing room in Toni Rudiger, and you lose a high potential player in Andreas Christensen. It changes always, it feels like that, and we've done it now in pre-season and the start of a new season which makes it more demanding." It's been "intense" – to say the least – for Tuchel. [BT Sport's 'Between The Lines'](https://go.skimresources.com?id=76202X1558242&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bt.com%2Fsport%2Fwatch%2Fvideo%2Fclips%2F2022%2Fseptember%2Fbetween-the-lines-with-thomas-tuchel&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.football.london%2Fchelsea-fc%2Fnews%2Fthomas-tuchel-todd-boehly-chelsea-24943132), Tuchel told Ferdinand: "It's a rollercoaster, that's a good explanation for it. Then, a huge summer transfer window took place, with the club bringing a host of new players for an estimated £250million. Back in March of this year, former Blues owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK Government, and that put the immediate future of the club in serious doubt.

Chelsea's lacklustre start to this season continued as they fell to a shock 1-0 defeat to Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb.

A season before, he had managed to guide Paris Saint-Germain to their first-ever Champions League final. He was substituted just before the hour mark, with his replacement Armando Broja failing to get to the end of two of Reece James' passes. Ben Chilwell and Mason Mount returned to the fold.

Chelsea spent about £272 million in the summer transfer market, including a reported fee of £75 million for centre-back Wesley Fofana.

Part of that is down to the players, of course, who weren't sharp or decisive enough. Returning to a five-at-the-back system, Chelsea looked frail defensively and clueless in the attack against a Dinamo team they should have steamrolled. That, most likely, is a result of playing alongside a new team-mate, with the two certainly needing time to adjust to each other's tendencies.

Thomas Tuchel's 100th game in charge was one to forget for the Chelsea boss as the Blues started their Champions League campaign with a defeat in Croatia.

After that we have two more matches before the first international pause of the season, at home to RB Salzburg and Liverpool. Our alterations in shape and personnel were piling attacking options onto the pitch but Dinamo’s resistance continued to stand firm. The lively Orsic fired narrowly over after producing some neat footwork to escape a couple of challenges in the box before Kepa palmed away a fierce 20-yard strike from skipper Arijan Ademi. Dinamo had not registered a clean sheet in their previous 10 outings but our attacking play was too ponderous and passive to cause any real issues. They almost had a second but for Kepa Arrizabalaga’s fingertip save onto the frame of the goal after half-time. Sterling was denied a certain opening goal after six minutes following neat combination play between Havertz and Aubameyang, the England international thwarted by an excellent block from Stefan Ristovski.