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Diego Costa has been axed from the Chelsea 2017-2018 Champions League Squad in order to protect his value to potential suitors in January.

These will include our Group C rivals Athletico Madrid for whom Costa played before signing for the Blues. It is expected that a deal for Costa will be made between Athletico and Chelsea once their transfer ban expires at the start of the January window.

This exclusion means that Chelsea will only have two forwards registered for the group stages meaning there will be little room for error.

Conte Forced To Name Youth

UEFA homegrown player rules mean that Antonio Conte has to name 8 homegrown players within his 25 man squad.

Homegrown Player Definition – UEFA defines locally-trained or ‘homegrown’ players as those who, regardless of their nationality, have been trained by their club or by another club in the same national association for at least three years between the age of 15 and 21.Four of the locally-trained players must be from the club itself, with the others being either from the club itself or from other clubs in the same association.

A lack of homegrown players in the Chelsea squad means that Conte has been forced to plug gaps in his squad with youth. Although these players are in the squad Conte has full autonomy in who he picks for each game from the list of 25.

Full Chelsea 2017-2018 Champions League Squad List

Goalkeepers

Tibo Courtois, Willy Callabero, Eduardo

Defenders

David Luiz, Antonio Rudiger, Marcos Alonso, Davide Zappacosta, Gary Cahill, Cesar Azpilicueta, Andreas Christensen, Jake Clarke-Salter,

Midfielders

Cesc Fabregas, Danny Drinkwater, N’Golo Kante, Eden Hazard, Pedro, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Victor Moses, Kenedy, Charly Musonda, Willian, Kyle Scott

Forwards

Alvaro Morata, Michy Batshuayi

Chelsea’s Homegrown Players

B Squad (qualified at Chelsea)

  • Kyle Scott (Midfield)
  • Andreas Christensen (Defence)
  • Charly Musonda (Midfield)
  • Jake Clarke Salter

Association Homegrown

  • Danny Drinkwater
  • Gary Cahill
  • Victor Moses
  • Cesc Fabregas

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