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Our next PL2 fixture is against Blackburn at Cobham a week on Sunday, although some of this group will be involved in the UEFA Youth League fixture away to Juventus on Tuesday.  

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Teddy Sharman-Lowe; Xavier Simons, Sam McClelland (c), Xavier Mbuyamba, Lewis Hall; George McEachran, Lewis Baker; Charly Musonda (Dion Rankine 61), Charlie Webster (Joe Haigh 60), George Nunn; Bryan Fiabema (Jayden Wareham 73)
Unused subs Lucas Bergstrom, Josh Brooking
Scorers Fiabema 41, Nunn 66, Haigh 74, Hall 90+5
Booked Nunn 20, Baker 79

Liverpool (4-3-3): Marcelo Pitaluga; Conor Bradley (Tony Gallagher 63), Tom Clayton (c), Billy Koumetio, Owen Beck; James Norris, Tyler Morton, James Balagizi (Elijah Dixon Bonner 77); Jack Bearne, Mateusz Musialowski (Dom Corness 85), Max Woltman
Unused subs Liam Hughes
Scorers Beck 6, Musialowski 52, 55

Hayes confirmed Lauren James will not be available for selection for this weekend’s clash but says the forward has settled in well since joining from Manchester United in the summer.

She said: ‘She’s home and she’s in an environment that was much needed for her with her family around. She’s not available for selection, not at this moment in time.

‘We still feel we’ve got to get some things right off the pitch. If we want Lauren to be successful, we’ve got to get everything in and around Lauren right. She’s still a young player that has played a lot of football and had substantial injuries.

‘My job is to make sure I keep her on the pitch once she comes back into the team and for now I’m taking the time to build all those areas around her.

‘There is a medical team, a performance team, a technical team all around Lauren and we want to get everything right so we are building Lauren for the long term and not just the opening few weeks of the season.’

‘It is important that we accept the difficulties, that we play through pain and play through fatigue. Then you need to take advantage if you feel the moment to escape the pressure. If you have in the moment the confidence to find the technical solution, you do it but you need to be very aware of all the solutions because if spaces open against Man City, they open up for only a blink of an eye.

‘We don’t need a miracle to compete with them but we need our best performance.’

Able to bring his best performance in our most recent Premier League game was Thiago Silva who earned rave reviews for his contribution to the big win at Tottenham. Tuchel discussed the possibility of the defender, who turned 37 on Wednesday, extending his time at Chelsea into a third season.

‘It’s on him. I cannot answer this question right now but hopefully he can continue to perform at this kind of level. That’s all it needs to stay here. It’s as easy and as clear as that.

‘We want top performances and when you play for Chelsea, you need to deliver, and this is what he’s doing.

Petr Cech – six saves

Half of Cech’s six shoot-out saves came in Champions League finals, with his stops to deny Ivica Olic and Bastian Schweinsteiger in Munich the most important of the 30 shoot-outs we have contested.

He also kept out Ronaldo in Moscow, in defeat, and Leighton Baines in an FA Cup reply which we also lost. His other two shoot-out saves came in the 2009 Community Shield, thwarting Patrice Evra and Ryan Giggs as we ran out comfortable winners.

Lukaku has welcomed Chelsea’s latest initiative as part of our No To Hate campaign, which is the launch of a photo competition inviting fans worldwide to help demonstrate how sport can be a unifying force in society.

‘It’s very important that we as a club can make a statement and take a position because a lot of people look at us for this,’ he continued. ‘We have to take a very strong position against discrimination of all forms and hopefully it can inspire other teams to do the same.

‘From the owner to us players, we’re really putting out a statement that stuff like that should not be tolerated because in our team we have a lot of players that represent the club – different nationalities, different skin colours, different religions, and also in the women’s team where it’s the same.

‘As a club, we should be an example and basically say that whenever a form of discrimination is happening, we’re going to take a strong position and prosecute everything that is happening in the stands.’

Enjoying the Eye

‘I like to go to in central London with my family, and with my sister as well. She lives in the city, and I’m nearer the training ground, but I go into the city to see her and walk around the city.

‘Last time I went on the London Eye with my family, it was perfect. The weather was good, and the views were amazing. We went to Hyde Park too which is beautiful.

‘Before we won the Champions League not many people recognised me, but now more do. The people are really good with me, they respect when I’m with my family. They just say ‘hello’ or ‘keep going, you’re doing well’ and I really appreciate that.

A Chelsea youth product, Greaves became the youngest player ever to reach 100 league goals during his time at Stamford Bridge, and more importantly made a generation of young football fans dream with his thrilling attacking play. He went on to become the greatest goalscorer in the history of English league football and a hero to fans.

As well as a special tribute cover, there is a celebration of Greaves’ sparkling career with a pictorial feature covering the magical moments that punctuated a memorable life, while club historian Rick Glanvill tells the story of his development as a young Blues star in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

The programme also speaks to a present-day graduate from the Chelsea Academy, Trevoh Chalobah, about a month he will never forget.

‘My dream has always been to play for Chelsea, to get my chance in the team, and the journey from where I started to where I am now has just been an unbelievable one,’ he says in an exclusive interview.
 

Covid-19 requirements

Supporters attending our home matches at Stamford Bridge and Kingsmeadow this season are required to provide evidence they are at low risk of transmitting Covid-19. This is to increase the safety and comfort of our supporters, players and staff as we host large crowds again. This applies to non-matchday events at Stamford Bridge as well. 

This can be done through proof of full Covid-19 vaccination (with both doses received at least 14 days prior to the match) or proof of a negative Lateral Flow Test (from age 11 and over) carried out within 48 hours of the fixture kicking off.

Genuine medical exemptions from testing/vaccination are accepted by the club on a case by case basis, and testing is only required for supporters aged 11 and over. As well as accepting proof via the NHS Covid pass or an NHS vaccination letter (or US or European equivalent), we also accept test results from any government approved lab, a GP or via proof of self reporting of a Lateral Flow Test result through the UK government’s online portal. 

Supporters will be required to wear masks in all indoor areas of the stadium, including the concourses, except when they are eating or drinking. Masks are not required when seated or walking outside the stadium.

We also strongly encourage the use of hand-washing facilities and hand sanitisers which are located throughout the Bridge.

Please understand that these standards apply to all supporters and that anyone who refuses this process will not be permitted to enter.

Thank you for your help and co-operation in helping to make Stamford Bridge a safer and more enjoyable experience.

Thomas Tuchel and his staff put the players through their paces at our Surrey training base in the final session before Wednesday night’s cup tie against the Midlanders.

As revealed in the manager’s pre-match press conference, Edouard Mendy was absent once again but there were plenty of faces eager to impress and earn a starting spot for our first domestic knockout encounter of the season.

Take a scroll through our exclusive pictures below for the best of the action…

‘It’s been quite a while since I played in the Premier League, so I was happy for the opportunity to help the team. To come into the side in such a big game like this, a London derby, and to keep a clean sheet and get the three points, it’s perfect really!

‘Edou and I have a very good relationship. We are training together every day and support each other whoever is playing.

‘You could see in the Super Cup the relationship we have, he was one of the first players to congratulate me after the penalty shoot-out and of course we celebrated together. Hopefully he can return to training soon from his injury.’