Chelsea have confirmed their initial squad for the UEFA Super Cup fixture against Villarreal on Wednesday night and there is no Baba Rahman on the list.
Thomas Tuchel’s side face the Spanish outfit at Windsor Park in Belfast as the Champions League winners face off against the Europa League champions.
The fixture kicks off Chelsea’s start to the season ahead of their Premier League opener on Saturday 14 August against Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea remained unbeaten in pre-season, winning three and drawing their final match to raise confidence levels heading into the new campaign.
And Tuchel has confirmed his first squad for the season after the Blues’ 26-man Super Cup squad was released.
As per UEFA’s website, here is Chelsea’s initial squad for the Super Cup.
Goalkeepers: Kepa Arrizabalaga, Marcus Bettinelli, Edouard Mendy, Lucas Bergstrom
Defenders: Antonio Rudiger, Marcos Alonso, Andreas Christensen, Thiago Silva, Kurt Zouma, Ethan Ampadu, Ben Chilwell, Reece James, Cesar Azpilicueta, Emerson Palmieri
Midfielders: Jorginho, N’Golo Kante, Christian Pulisic, Mateo Kovacic, Mason Mount, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Hakim Ziyech, Tino Anjorin, Kai Havertz
Forwards: Timo Werner, Tammy Abraham, Armando Broja
The usual suspects are there in the goalkeeper and defensive positions. Trevoh Chalobah misses out on the squad despite a positive pre-season. He is set to leave the club on loan.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Ross Barkley aren’t in the squad either to travel to Northern Ireland. But Mason Mount will return to the side available for selection for Tuchel after returning late to pre-season following international duty with England.
Armando Broja makes the squad however he is set to be heading out on loan with Southampton in advanced talks.
Chelsea’s pursuit of Romelu Lukaku will need to be finalised before Tuesday night if they want the 28-year-old to be involved and included in the squad.
UEFA’s regulations state clubs can make changes to their squad lists up until 11pm (UK) the night before the game.
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