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Head coach Thomas Tuchel has revealed that he has chosen to hand a rest to Thiago Silva for Tuesday’s Champions League fixture against Dinamo Zagreb.
After a mixed start to the new Premier League campaign, the Blues have travelled to Croatia for their first-ever meeting with the nation’s top-flight champions.
However, Chelsea head into the contest without the services of Silva, who has been left out of the squad having previously been an ever-present.
When quizzed on the 37-year-old’s absence from his travelling group, Tuchel insisted that he was simply managing the workload of the veteran centre-back.
Tuchel told reporters at a press conference: “We decided with Thiago that he will have a break from the travelling and the stress after he played every minute so far in very intense matches.
“It was the moment to give him a break rather than putting him on the bench and having the travel issues, so he takes care about his recovery.”
N’Golo Kante, who is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury, is the only other notable absentee from the squad which made the journey to Croatia on Monday.
The participation of Denis Zakaria, due to work permit issues, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has a broken jaw, was very much in doubt over the weekend.
However, having arrived at Stamford Bridge on deadline day, the pair are now in contention to make their debuts at Stadion Maksimir.
Tuchel added: “He (Aubameyang) had a test with his mask and felt fine, trained normal, so if everything goes well today, they will both be available.”
Chelsea are squaring off against Croatian opposition in a European competition for the first time in their history.
The other clubs in the group – Red Bull Salzburg and AC Milan – meet in Austria later on Tuesday evening.