Chelsea

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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

Image source, Getty Images

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

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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.

Crystal Palace and England midfielder Adam Wharton, 21, is keen to sign for Liverpool despite interest from Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester United. (Fichajes - in Spanish), external

Scouts from Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United, Barcelona and Real Madrid have all been watching Ajax's 17-year-old Belgian midfielder Jorthy Mokio. (Caughtoffside), external

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

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Opta's supercomputer has ranked Chelsea as the sixth-most likely team to win this season's Champions League.

The model estimates the probability of each match outcome (win, draw or loss) by using betting market odds and Opta power rankings. Both these areas are based on historical and recent team performances and the computer runs 10,000 simulations to create its predictions.

Image source, Opta

Enzo Maresca's Club World Cup winners win the trophy in 7% of simulations, behind Barcelona, Manchester City, Paris St-Germain, Arsenal and Liverpool.

This is the Blues' first season back in the Champions League since 2022-23 and Opta give them a 51.3% chance of reaching the quarter-finals and a 28.5% chance of making the semi-finals.

They reach the final in 15% of simulations.

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Strasbourg striker Emanuel Emegha signed a pre-agreement with Chelsea at the end of last week, but it had been a battle for the French club to keep hold of the 22-year-old since spring.

Talks began months ago to ward off interest from rival Premier League and Champions League clubs, with Emegha's previous contract expiring in 2028.

He was given the captain's armband going into Strasbourg's first season in Europe for 10 years.

The decision was ultimately made to keep him in Ligue 1 until 2026 to give him time to polish his game further and push into the Netherlands' World Cup squad next summer.

Meanwhile, he became part of Chelsea's long-term plan, built on positive relationships behind the scenes - and the move, on a seven-year deal, was finalised swiftly over 48 hours in London last week.

It is one of the reasons the Blues opted against signing a replacement for an injured Liam Delap, allowed Nicolas Jackson to move to Bayern Munich on a loan that could become permanent and recall Marc Guiu from Sunderland instead.

However, Strasbourg's ultras fan group - currently a loud minority at La Meinau - held up a banner during Sunday's 1-0 win over Le Havre reading: "Emegha, BlueCo pawn. After changing your shirt, give back your armband."

Manager Liam Rosenior, who has enjoyed a positive start to the campaign, said: "Emanuel Emegha was devastated and so was I.

"Seeing banners against one of the best players last season is unacceptable. My players deserve much more."

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Brentford and Chelsea.

Here are some of your comments:

Brentford fans

Tim: That Chelsea had to send on the big guns to make an impression shows how effective the Bees had been up until then. It also shows how classy Palmer is - finding time and space at ease. Henderson is the rock in midfield, allowing the ever improving Yarmoliuk more licence to roam and harry the opposition. Lovely to see Kev get his goal, and Fabio likewise - both are confidence players.

David: A very gutsy performance from Brentford. Chelsea brought on a very talented bench, however we kept to our gameplan despite Chelsea's many excellent players. Kevin Schade was my man of the match.

Brian: I sensed a goal was coming when Keith Andrews introduced Fabio Carvalho late on. There was focus and determination in Kevin Schade's eyes as he took the long throw which confirmed this. It seems that the coach dubbed a "rookie" by so many pundits knows exactly what he is doing. Well done, Keith, and his Bees.

R Hipgrave: A good display under a new manager. Considering they have a new team from last season, on this showing, it looks good. Well done, Bees.

Chelsea fans

Richard: Chelsea snatch a draw from the jaws of victory. Often the defence has looked all over the place and Sanchez has saved Chelsea more than a few times this season. When you take the lead with five minutes remaining (thanks, Caicedo) you should be able to see the game out. At least Palmer is back. Gittens' contribution has been negligible thus far and Neto is speedy but too often he lacks an accurate final pass or cross. He should be scoring more goals.

Tawina: Decent start to the season for Chelsea, but that Brentford draw stings. Still unbeaten, which is a plus, but the habit of starting slow is worrying. We've shipped early goals in every league game (two chalked off, but still). That needs fixing fast or players like Yamal will punish us. This display and the season so far? Solid 6/10.

Scott: While people say Chelsea have a huge squad, the Brentford game showed that - outside the top 15 players or so - the quality is not there at Premier League or Champions League level. Our centre-backs and goalkeeper are simply not good enough. There is no way this team wins either of those competitions - a domestic cup and top four maybe.

Richard: Frustrating performance. The starting line-up looked like we had our eyes on Bayern. Why would you ever rest Cucurella - the guy can run forever. At least the changes were made quickly but we still overcommit with a defence that is just not up to it.

Chelsea had a £70m bid for Juventus striker Kenan Yildiz rejected over the summer, with the Italian side hoping to tie the 20-year-old Turkey international down to a long-term contract. (Calciomercato - in Italian), external

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

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Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Alejandro Garnacho, Cole Palmer, Reece James, Marc Cucurella and Tyrique George made an impact as substitutes - but there are questions about how Maresca uses his squad.

Enzo Maresca and the vast majority of Chelsea's players enter what, for them, is uncharted territory this season - having to balance the demands of the Premier League with the Champions League.

It will deliver another layer of pressure to rotate well, rest big players and still get results on all fronts.

Of course, Chelsea were not in Europe at all two seasons ago and regularly played a different 11 in Uefa's third-tier Conference League competition last season.

The big games come thick and fast now - a trip to Bayern Munich on Wednesday, a visit to Manchester United next Saturday.

Maresca's team selection raised a few eyebrows but he had issues relating to players coming back late from international duty in South America, plus injuries to contend with and a need not to overload James, who started both of England's matches.

"Before the game Joao Pedro told me that he was not 100% fit [and said] it is better [that he] doesn't play," Maresca explained. "And so if I was thinking about Bayern Munich, Joao was on the bench.

"Cole was not fit to play from the start. We planned 45 minutes for Wes [Fofana], because he was a long time out.

"We planned not all the game for Jorrel [Hato], because we said already many times, when you arrive from another country, you need time to adapt. Facundo joined us two weeks ago. His physicality also is not 100%.

"But we needed to manage different situations, like Estevao that was out."

Pundits Ashley Williams and Shay Given join host Mark Chapman to bring you the action and talking points from Saturday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Everton 0-0 Aston Villa

• Newcastle 1-0 Wolves

• West Ham 0-3 Tottenham

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca, speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "It's a shame [to concede late] but it happens. Probably we could manage that moment of the game better but in the end we concede and lose two points.

"We try to win every game but know we won't win every game. It's a shame because we conceded so late."

On long throw-ins and how to defend them: "First of all try not to concede the throw-in. They have Kayode, Jensen, Schade and even Pinnock who are strong on throw-ins."

On making three changes at half-time: "We planned to give [Wesley] Fofana 45 minutes because he's back after a long time. [Facundo] Buonanotte is the same - he needs time."

Did you know?

• Joao Pedro has been directly involved in five goals in four Premier League games for Chelsea (two goals, three assists). The only player to reach five goal involvements in fewer games for the Blues in the competition is Eden Hazard (three games).

• Chelsea made three half time substitutions in a Premier League game for the first time since 31 January 2024, in a 4-1 loss to Liverpool at Anfield.

• Each of the Blues' last four visits to the Brentford Community Stadium have finished level.

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

Have your say on Brentford's performance

What did you make of Chelsea's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies