Chelsea

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Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca spoke to TNT Sports after defeat at Bayern Munich:

"Overall the performance was quite good. We started well for 20 minutes and created two or three chances. When we conceded a goal, we could have avoided the game changed a bit.

"We were in the game, we scored a goal. The decision [not to send off Jonathan Tah] was tough because it was more a red card than yellow card. Even without that, we started the second half well and created chances.

"Once we conceded the third goal the game, changed again. We conceded a goal that killed the game. We were in the game until the end. With the penalty, the [non] red card and an own goal it becomes difficult.

"We can learn from this game. First of all, this kind of game needs you to play the right way for 95 minutes, not just for part of the game. At times we weren't good enough.

"It was a good performance. Now it's time to recover because in two days we have a tough game."

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

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Chelsea must learn lessons from this performance at the Allianz Arena.

They were equals to Bayern in the first half but were a goal down after two mistakes despite brilliance from Cole Palmer.

Bayern manager Vincent Kompany made tweaks at the interval, having no doubt spotted Enzo Maresca tried to repeat his tactics from the Club World Cup final win over Paris St-Germain, and the game swung back in the German side's favour.

Kane scored an all-important third goal in the 63rd minute, but multiple chances before then were a signal Maresca should have used his substantial bench sooner.

Estevao Willian, Alejandro Garnacho, Jamie Gittens and a host of other attackers may have swung the game.

Garnacho and Andrey Santos came on immediately after Kane's second goal but it was too late. Estevao also came on and set up Palmer's 88th-minute goal, which was ruled out by a narrow offside call after a VAR check.

Meanwhile, Bayern had only five senior players on their bench. They went down to their fourth-choice option at left-back after an injury to Josip Stanisic early in the second half.

It must also be said that this was far from a disastrous performance and many Chelsea players showed an aptitude to play at this level. Of course, no-one more so than Palmer.

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Chelsea goalscorer Cole Palmer spoke to DAZN after Chelsea slipped to a 3-1 defeat by Bayern Munich: "I thought we played well. We've shown we deserve to play here. The three goals we conceded were our own fault. We had chances.

"We broke them down well but some chances we missed. They're a good team. We deserved better than what we got."

• Palmer became the first Englishman to score on his Champions League debut for Chelsea

• On his 100th appearance for Chelsea, Palmer has now been directly involved in 73 goals (45 goals, 28 assists) - only Mohamed Salah (97) and Erling Haaland (85) have more goals and assists in all competitions among Premier League players

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

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Chelsea loanee Nicolas Jackson is on the bench for Bayern Munich against his parent club.

Bayern Munich XI: Neuer, Laimer, Pavlovic, Upamecano, Tah, Stanisic, Kimmich, Olise, Gnabry, Luis Diaz, Kane.

Subs: Ulreich, Urbig, Boey, Kim, Kiala, Goretzka, Karl, David Daiber, Bichof, Jackson.

Meanwhile, Cole Palmer starts for Chelsea for the first time since the opening day of the Premier League season.

Reece James moves into midfield and Enzo Fernandez is pushed into a number 10 role.

Chelsea XI: Sanchez, Gusto, Tosin, Chalobah, Cucurella, Caciedo, James, Pedro Neto, Fernandez, Palmer, Joao Pedro.

Subs: Jorgensen, Curd, Acheampong, Hato, Fofana, Andrey Santos, Buonanotte, Estevao, Gittens, Garnacho, Guiu, George.

There are six games in the Champions League on Wednesday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

Kick-off times 20:00 BST unless stated.

• Olympiacos v Pafos (17:45)

• Slavia Prague v Bodo/Glimt (17:45)

• Ajax v Inter Milan

• Bayern Munich v Chelsea - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Liverpool v Atletico Madrid

• Paris St-Germain v Atalanta

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Bayern Munich v Chelsea".

Watch highlights of every Champions League game from 22:00 on Wednesday on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.

There will also be a Champions League Match of the Day on BBC One on Wednesday, from 22:40 to 00:00.

Tom McCoy
BBC Sport journalist

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Nicolas Jackson, who left Chelsea in slightly acrimonious circumstances on transfer deadline day, could make his Champions League debut for Bayern Munich tonight – against his parent club.

The Premier League does not allow loan player to feature against the team that owns them but that is not the case in Europe. Uefa rules state clubs cannot apply "any influence whatsoever over the players that another club may (or may not) field in a match".

The same situation arose last season when Marco Asensio, then on loan at Aston Villa from Paris St-Germain, lined up against the Parisians. More infamously, Philippe Coutinho scored twice as Bayern Munich thrashed Barca in 2020 while on loan from the Catalan club, the Brazilian sheepishly raising his hands in apology after netting the final goal in an 8-2 win.

Premier League rules were altered to stop such scenarios after Lomana LuaLua scored a late equaliser for Portsmouth against parent club Newcastle in 2004, with the Magpies having reportedly forgotten to include a contractual clause to prevent him from facing them.

However, there is no blanket ban on loan players turning out against their employers in many other major leagues such as the Bundesliga, La Liga, Serie A or Ligue 1.

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Former Chelsea and Scotland winger Pat Nevin believes Wednesday's trip to Bayern Munich is the toughest his old side will face in the Champions League group stage (kick-off 20:00 BST).

Along with facing the German champions, the Blues also have to travel to Napoli, Qarabag and Atalanta while they must host Benfica, Ajax, Barcelona and Pafos.

"Probably of the eight games Chelsea will play in this stage, Bayern is the hardest game so if they don't win it, maybe if they can get a draw it's not the end of the world," Nevin told BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast.

"That's what you have to think about in this competition. You've got eight games, some of them are tough, some of them are a little bit easier. This is one of the ones where Chelsea are going to learn.

"It's about learning as much as anything else and they will learn a lot because the quality they are up against tonight is really high."

While the game will be difficult, Nevin did acknowledge the fond memories Chelsea fans will have of this corner of Germany having beaten Bayern on penalties in their own stadium to win the Champions League in 2012.

"It is always brilliant in the Allianz Arena" he said. "Chelsea's direct games against them haven't always gone well but the big one has. That will never be forgotten as magical for the Chelsea fans."

Chelsea will also have an early reunion with striker Nicolas Jackson who joined Bayern on loan with an obligation to buy earlier this month after the relationship at Stamford Bridge soured.

"He would love to play against Chelsea," Nevin said. "He was really fed up with the way he thought he was treated at the end of his time although he didn't help himself by getting sent off for petulant fouls a couple of times.

"He is a decent player, he has got stunning, stunning pace but then again the Chelsea players know him quite well. If he comes on, he won't be a surprise to them."

Listen to Bayern Munich v Chelsea on Wednesday from 20:00 BST on BBC Radio 5 Live

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter in Munich

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Chelsea captain Reece James believes the club are ready to embark on their first Champions League campaign in three seasons.

The Blues last played in Europe's elite competition during the 2022-23 season.

After winning the Conference League and Club World Cup last term, James said: "I have no doubts in the club and the team's ability to go on to compete against the best teams in Europe and the world.

"We will take that week by week, game by game, and see where we've gone at the end of the season."

After defender Ben Chilwell joined Strasbourg on deadline day, James became the last remaining member of the team that won the Champions League in 2021.

He added: "Over the years, people have slowly started to go and to leave the club. It's obviously difficult. The club's done lots of change. I wouldn't necessarily say it's a bad thing.

"If you look at last season, we qualified for this competition and we went on to achieve two trophies. We started with all the change. We started pretty slow. But last season, we've come on."

Chelsea are stepping up their bid to sign Crystal Palace's 21-year-old England midfielder Adam Wharton in January. (Teamtalk), external

Meanwhile, Nicolas Jackson's agent says the striker will never return to Chelsea following his loan move to Bayern Munich. (Canal+ via Transfermarkt - in German), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Marissa Thomas
BBC Sport journalist

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has been speaking to the media before Wednesday's Champions League game against Bayern Munich (kick-off 20:00).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• On forward Cole Palmer, who has recently returned from injury, Maresca said "we'll see" if he will start against the German champions.

• On competing against Bayern: "At this moment they are one of the favourites [to win the competition] but we will try to do our best. They showed last year that they can compete in this competition and win it."

• On potentially facing striker Nicolas Jackson, who is on loan from the Blues: "I am thankful to Nico because if we achieved what we achieved last year, it is because of all of the players including Nicolas who was with us. I texted him after he left the club to thank him for last season and wished him all the best. He is a good guy, with us he was good and working well."

• He added that Jackson joined Bayern because Chelsea "bought two strikers, Liam Delap and Joao Pedro, and two strikers is a good number - that is enough".

• Maresca says his side are "happy" to be in the Champions League after playing in the Conference League last season and will "to do our job in the best way."

Listen to Bayern Munich v Chelsea on Wednesday from 20:00 BST on BBC Sounds

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter at Bayern Campus

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Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany says it would be "special" for on-loan striker Nicolas Jackson to face parent club Chelsea - but he does not want him to feel "pressure".

The 24-year-old joined the German champions after an on-off transfer saga with the knowledge he would be able to face the Blues in the Champions League in his second match at his new club.

Kompany was guarded when asked whether Jackson would start, having made his Bundesliga debut from the bench on Saturday, but explained: "It'll certainly be a special game for him - there's no doubt about that.

"My wish is that he scores a lot of goals for us. I think he'll achieve that. But he doesn't have the pressure from me. Our team is a good team, a good group. He has to be a part of it and he can help us a lot."

When asked whether it could be too emotional for him to face Chelsea, he added: "You can look at it both ways. You can be on the side where you think, do you want one of your ex-players to play against you straight away?

"Does he get a chance to do something as well? The point you mentioned is a fair point. I don't think it's black or white. It can go both ways."

England striker Harry Kane could also face Chelsea on Wednesday at the Allianz Arena.

Asked about Jackson, Kane said: "If he plays tomorrow, he'll be eager to impress.

"But I don't want to put too much pressure on him too soon. He knows he's working his way into the team and the way we like to play."

Will Faulks
Fan writer

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It was another busy summer at Chelsea, whose sporting structure has built the club's transfer philosophy around very defined principles, some of which go against much of the conventional wisdom fans have become used to.

For example, teams in the past would try to minimise turnover in any given window, in order to allow chemistry to develop on the pitch, and to help the group bond off it.

Chelsea have overturned that rule. If there is a chance to buy a player for less than they are worth, they take it. If there is a chance to sell a player for more than they're worth, they take it.

We saw that in the summer - did Chelsea need to sell Noni Madueke? No. But Arsenal made an offer that allowed the Blues to bank a big profit. Is Alejandro Garnacho a better player? Maybe not, but the chance to buy him for below his market value was equally irresistible.

Buy low and sell high and you will make money. But the cost comes on the pitch, and that was clear on Saturday as Chelsea continued to show a lack of fluency in attack, or indeed any real chemistry in the team.

A combination of injuries and international break fatigue forced Enzo Maresca to rotate his team. But the players brought in are not yet settled, and it showed. The manager had to draw for the big guns at half-time.

A more conservative approach in the summer would have meant players like Madueke or Nicolas Jackson coming into the team; adapted, familiar with the system and ready to deliver. Instead there was the likes of Jorrel Hato, Facundo Buonanotte and Garnacho all making their debuts, trying to learn on the fly.

The advantages of this player trading model are clear - but so are downsides.

Find more from Will Faulks at Chelsea News, external

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

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Chelsea have given new signing Facundo Buonanotte a place in their Champions League squad at the expense of midfielder Dario Essugo.

The 20-year-old was signed on loan from Brighton on transfer deadline day but initially did not make the squad under manager Enzo Maresca because of Uefa's squad limits.

However, European football's governing body has since introduced a provision allowing clubs to make changes as a result of major injuries.

Essugo has dropped out of the squad after having surgery on an thigh injury that he sustained while with Portugal Under-21s during the international break.

Buonanotte is now available for Wednesday's trip to Bayern Munich having made his debut as a starter in the 2-2 Premier League draw at Brentford on Saturday.

Injured duo Benoit Badiashile and Romeo Lavia also trained before the Blues' Champions League opener, but it remains unclear whether they will be available on Wednesday.