PREVIEW: Chelsea missing eight players ahead of Champions League clash with Ajax | OneFootball

Chelsea will be without eight players as they prepare to welcome Ajax to Stamford Bridge in the Champions League tomorrow.

The Blues are on the brink of a historic milestone, with tomorrow’s match marking their 200th game in the competition.

Enzo Maresca’s Ajax lost their opening Champions League fixture 3-1 against Bayern Munich before bouncing back with a 1-0 win over Benfica, managed by former Chelsea boss José Mourinho.

Chelsea return to the Champions League after a two-year absence, having last lifted the trophy in 2021. They also won the Club World Cup in July, defeating Paris Saint-Germain 3-0.

The Blues head into the match on the back of consecutive Premier League victories: a 2-1 win over Liverpool and a 3-0 victory against Nottingham Forest, the latter of which saw Forest manager Ange Postecoglou lose his job.

Chelsea will be without Cole Palmer (groin), Mykhaylo Mudryk (doping ban), Levi Colwill (ACL), Dario Essugo (thigh), Benoît Badiashile (muscle), and Liam Delap (hamstring). Enzo Fernández is doubtful with a knee problem, while Moisés Caicedo was only fit for one half against Forest.

Ajax began their Champions League campaign with a defeat to Inter Milan and have since suffered heavy losses to Marseille (4-0) and Inter (2-0), failing to score in either match.

In the Eredivisie, the Dutch side recently drew 3-3 with Sparta Rotterdam before losing 2-0 to AZ Alkmaar, but they remain unbeaten overall with four wins and four draws, currently sitting third in the table. Ajax return to the Champions League after a two-year absence.

This will be the third meeting between the sides. In their most recent clash in November 2019, Ajax drew 4-4 with Chelsea. Ajax have never beaten Chelsea, who have won one of their previous encounters and drawn the other.

The Dutch side will be without left-back Owen Wijndal (muscle), Branco van den Boomen (back), Kasper Dolberg, and Jurriën Timber due to injury.

The match will be broadcast live on TNT Sports in the UK, with a kick-off time of 20:00 [BST].