Chelsea

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is set to make his Chelsea debut as they face the Croatian champions in the Champions League group stage.

67 mins: Ljubicic takes the ball of Broja and sparks an attack for Dinamo Zagreb. The referee thinks about it but doesn’t issue another card. Dinamo Zagreb have left nothing on the pitch and if they claim this victory it’ll be fully deserved. The Dinamo Zagreb goalkeeper leaps across to his left as Reece James fizzes a shot at the near post. Instead he boots the ball straight out of play. Dinamo Zagreb 1-0 Chelsea [Thomas Tuchel’s](https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/thomas-tuchel) side have made a stuttering start to the season after defeats to Southampton and Leeds in the Premier League but they earned a comeback victory [over London rivals West Ham at the weekend](https://d.docs.live.net/sport/football/ben-chilwell-chelsea-west-ham-result-score-b2159143.html) to give them some momentum heading into tonight’s fixture. [Champions League](https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/champions-league) returns tonight with [Chelsea](https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/chelsea-fc) in group stage action as they travel to [Dinamo Zagreb](https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/dinamo-zagreb) for the first match of the new campaign. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s arrival at Stamford Bridge brings some needed firepower to the forward line, and [the 33-year-old starts tonight](/sport/football/chelsea-predicted-lineups-team-news-dinamo-zagreb-b2160018.html).

LIVERPOOL and Manchester City have been told to take advantage of Chelsea's transfer business in the future.

Billy did not want to go on loan, it was a no-go for him so in the end we agreed to a sale." However, Nevin has argued that Chelsea may now miss out on the player long-term, believing he is good enough to go to play for the likes of City and Liverpool. He struggled last season while he was sent out on loan to a poor Norwich team, hence leaving him further outside the first team picture at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea won't regret selling him because that's not the way they think as a club - but they may want to buy him back again. The Scottish international was allowed to join Brighton on deadline day in a £9million transfer after falling out of favour with Blues boss [Thomas Tuchel](/latest/thomas-tuchel). However, he started to fall out of first-team favour when the Englishman was replaced by Tuchel, despite continuing to perform for his national side.

Chelsea signed the former Arsenal striker for a reported £10 million on deadline day, and the former Blues winger thinks it was a smart deal.

Some of his deliveries, I wish I was a striker in those positions.” I think he’s someone in big games who Chelsea look to make the difference.” And I think he’s becoming a leader in the dressing room. [James commits to Chelsea with bumper six-year contract deal](https://www.eurosport.co.uk/football/premier-league/2022-2023/chelsea-defender-reece-james-signs-new-five-year-contract-at-stamford-bridge-with-option-of-a-furthe_sto9126249/story.shtml) [Tuchel reveals Aubameyang could make debut in Champions League tie](https://www.eurosport.co.uk/football/chelsea-manager-thomas-tuchel-reveals-pierre-emerick-aubameyang-could-make-debut-in-champions-league-tie_vid1744202/video.shtml) [Madrid to retain? Champions League predictions](https://www.eurosport.co.uk/football/champions-league/2022-2023/real-madrid-to-retain-erling-haaland-to-shine-liverpool-to-flop-inside-europe-champions-league-2022_sto9126385/story.shtml) “He scored 11 goals in 17 for Barcelona, he does everything Chelsea need; he gets on the shoulder, he’s a finisher, he’s a proven goalscorer and it’s a great bit of business”.

Live coverage of the Champions League group E match between Dinamo Zagreb and Chelsea at the Stadion Maksimir in Zagreb. AC Milan and Salzburg are the other ...

Chelsea beat West Ham 2-1 on Saturday and there are some changes to their team. Sterling and Auba play a one-two and the forrmer's goalbound effort is blocked by Ristovski! Zagreb win the ball in their own half and they counter at breakneck speed! Very little to report here, at the moment. Since the goal, Zagreb have been in complete control and Ademi could've even made it two. Ristovski tries his luck from 25 yards and Kepa has to dive to his left to tip onto the woodwork!

With Chelsea defender Reece James recently signing a new six-year contract at Stamford Bridge, here are the highest-paid players at the Blues following that ...

Catch the debate by clicking on the podcast player below! The French centre-back commanded a massive transfer fee when he joined from Leicester City late last month, and now commands massive wages too. Since returning from a loan spell at Wigan Athletic in 2019, the Englishman has been an ever-present in the Blues' starting XI.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is preparing to make his debut for Chelsea, donning a face mask, with the former Arsenal striker returning to the Premier League ...

He said: “I needed a mask which represents me and that's the Black Panther. The second time, it was my son’s birthday, when I was playing for Dortmund. It was a tribute to a goalkeeper at the club, Jeremie Janot. “On his birthday, I put the mask on to celebrate that. So he would be okay but we need to check it and we need to check it with no contact, half-contact, and then full contact. A bow for the Blues has been delayed slightly due to an unfortunate injury being picked up.

Chelsea are hoping to get their Champions League group stage campaign off to a winning start this evening as they take on Dinamo Zagreb at the Stadion ...

He is happily invited to prove a point." The England international has had to remain patient but his goal and assist against West Ham United on Saturday have ensured his return. There were plenty of players in contention for the other spots: Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic, Hakim Ziyech, Armando Broja, and Aubameyang. "It is a really good feeling to be in Zagreb, to see people I haven't seen in a long time. And that is largely reflected in the side he has picked to try and overcome Dinamo tonight. They have a lot of individual quality – upfront they have speed and dribbling on the wings. I am a Dinamo fan, but now I am on the opposite side." Summer signing Wesley Fofana will move to the middle as a result, with fellow new recruit Kalidou Koulibaly keeping his spot as the left centre-back. "He [Kepa] is absolutely ready to play," Tuchel said on Saturday. "They are used to being on the top; that shapes a certain mentality. I’m pretty sure they plan to play a very technical, emotional game against us. They made it through qualification which is never easy and they deserve to be here.

The Senegalese goalkeeper is one of the lowest-paid players in the Blues squad but rejected the first proposal because the terms were inferior to his ...

We have two fantastic goalkeepers, two fantastic guys. It's also about confidence and luck. - Goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has knocked back Chelsea's offer of a new contract

Chelsea's problems on the road continue as Orsic's strike inflicts a shock defeat on Thomas Tuchel's side in their Champions League opener.

[get past West Ham](https://inews.co.uk/sport/football/chelsea-vs-west-ham-player-ratings-1831742?ico=in-line_link), what will alarm Tuchel most is that his side are yet to deliver a convincing 90 minutes this season. Kai Havertz appealed in vain for a penalty having been bundled over by Josip Sutalo, and came close to a headed chance, intercepted by the omnipresent Robert Ljubicic. This time, Kalidou Koulibaly was unable to make contact as he sought to breach the gap between Mateo Kovacic and Mason Mount in midfield, before Orsic found himself in a one-on-one race with Fofana. He is the man behind some of the Croatian’s most famous nights, hitting a hat-trick past Tottenham in 2021 to overturn a two-goal first-leg deficit and knock Jose Mourinho’s side out of the Europa League. “Me personally, I didn’t. The transfer window ended with Premier League sides having blown the rest of the continent out of the water, but asked what his side is still lacking, the Chelsea boss could only respond: “At the moment everything is missing.”

Chelsea began their UEFA Champions League campaign with a 1-0 shock defeat to Dinamo Zagreb at the Stadion Maksimir on Tuesday evening.

The hosts did not seem disturbed by Hazard's absence, as they went on to grab the opening goal in the 35th minute courtesy of a strike from captain Marco Reus. The Blues did have a big chance to equalise with four minutes left on the click when full-back Reece James rattled the woodwork with a powerful strike. The Blues did not get off to a good start as Zagreb opened the scoring 13 minutes, with Mislav Orsic firing past Kepa Arrizabalaga, who was making his first start of the campaign.

How to watch Dinamo Zagreb vs Chelsea on TV and stream the game live in the U.S., UK and more.

With five goals in eight league games, Mislav Orsic has been a standout player for Dinamo Zagreb in front of goal this season. Cacic rested several players, including captain Arijan Ademi during the weekend's league win against Rijeka. Viewers in the U.S. The Croatian side has been performing well in their domestic league, having won seven and drawn one out of a total of eight league matches. Thomas Tuchel, who guided his team to European success two seasons ago, will be hoping for another brilliant campaign as they kick off their group stage as part of Group E, which also has RB Salzburg and AC Milan. [BT Sport 4 ](https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=3041&awinaffid=918243&clickref=SEOMatchPreview&platform=dl&ued=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bt.com%2Fsport%2Fwatch%2Flive-now)will show the game between Dinamo Zagreb and Chelsea in the UK and it can also be streamed live online via the [BT Player](https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=3041&awinaffid=918243&clickref=SEOMatchPreview&platform=dl&ued=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bt.com%2Fsport%2Fwatch%2Flive-now).

Chelsea spent about £272 million in the summer transfer market, including a reported fee of £75 million for centre-back Wesley Fofana.

Part of that is down to the players, of course, who weren't sharp or decisive enough. Returning to a five-at-the-back system, Chelsea looked frail defensively and clueless in the attack against a Dinamo team they should have steamrolled. That, most likely, is a result of playing alongside a new team-mate, with the two certainly needing time to adjust to each other's tendencies.

Chelsea's lacklustre start to this season continued as they fell to a shock 1-0 defeat to Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb.

A season before, he had managed to guide Paris Saint-Germain to their first-ever Champions League final. He was substituted just before the hour mark, with his replacement Armando Broja failing to get to the end of two of Reece James' passes. Ben Chilwell and Mason Mount returned to the fold.

With Chelsea defender Reece James recently signing a new six-year contract at Stamford Bridge, here are the highest-paid players at the Blues following that ...

Catch the debate by clicking on the podcast player below! The French centre-back commanded a massive transfer fee when he joined from Leicester City late last month, and now commands massive wages too. Since returning from a loan spell at Wigan Athletic in 2019, the Englishman has been an ever-present in the Blues' starting XI.

Deadline-day signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang get im Chelsea debut and, although di ex-Arsenal skipper get one goal wey referee overrule for offside, ...

Dinamo dey very efficient. 41 mins: After a good spell of attacking, now Dinamo dey defend well wit plenty players. Dinamo Zagreb 0-0 Chelsea Dinamo Zagreb 1-0 Chelsea. Dinamo Zagreb vs Chelsea Line up 31 mins: Still Dinamo Zagreb 1-0 Chelsea Dinamo Zagreb 1-0 Chelsea 80 mins: Dinamo Zagreb 1-0 Chelsea 46 mins: Dinamo Zagreb 1-0 Chelsea. 14 mins: Dinamo Zagreb attack for the first time... 38 mins: Dinamo dey do more of di attack dan Chelsea right now. Dinamo Zagreb vs Chelsea Highlight: Aubameyang fail to shine as Chelsea lose first match for champions league

CHELSEA travelled to Dinamo Zagreb in the first Champions League clash of the season on Tuesday.

The Blues have won just three of their first seven matches this season and have found the back of the net on just eight occasions. And the image, which displayed players as computer generated figures without any of the pitch showing, helped Kovacs make his decision to disallow the effort. But the England wing-back had strayed offside in the lead-up to the goal.

Chelsea's new signing, Pierre Emerick Aubameyang has been included in the starting line up for Chelsea in their game against Dinamo Zagreb.

His inclusion in the starting line-up comes as a surprise after reports had it that he suffered a broken jaw and will be out for 3-4 weeks. It will be the debut for Aubameyang in a Blues shirt since making a move to Chelsea in the summer transfer window. Chelsea’s new signing, Pierre Emerick Aubameyang has been included in the starting line up for Chelsea in their game against Dinamo Zagreb.

Chelsea spent about £272 million in the summer transfer market, including a reported fee of £75 million for centre-back Wesley Fofana.

Part of that is down to the players, of course, who weren't sharp or decisive enough. Returning to a five-at-the-back system, Chelsea looked frail defensively and clueless in the attack against a Dinamo team they should have steamrolled. That, most likely, is a result of playing alongside a new team-mate, with the two certainly needing time to adjust to each other's tendencies.

The Blues started their Champions League campaign with a trip to Croatia, and they fell behind in the 13th minute when Mislav Orsic raced clear before ...

However, Tuchel refused to single out Aubameyang for criticism. Chelsea have left themselves plenty of work to do to qualify from their group, and they have also made an unimpressive start to their domestic campaign, losing to Leeds and Southampton in the opening weeks of the season. The Gabon striker made his debut for the side in Zagreb, but failed to have the desired impact before he was substituted in the second half.

All your latest Chelsea news and transfer updates throughout Tuesday as we provide build-up to the Champions league opener.

Gvardiol followed in the footsteps of Kovacic in coming through the youth ranks at Dinamo Zagreb, who Chelsea face in their Champions League group stage opener tomorrow (Tuesday) evening. In an interview with [The Argus](https://www.theargus.co.uk/sport/20899517.on-loan-chelsea-teen-levi-colwill-enjoys-life-brighton/), the 19-year-old has reflected upon his maiden months on the south coast as he seeks first-team opportunities. And a late attempt to secure a deal that would have seen Gvardiol arrive at Stamford Bridge ahead of the 2023/24 campaign also proved unsuccessful. [Marca](https://www.marca.com/futbol/barcelona/2022/09/06/6316df40ca47415b0b8b456c.html), the winger said: "My relationship with Xavi is special, I want to stay by his side for a long time. [west Londoners are currently 1-0 down at the time of writing, ](https://www.football.london/chelsea-fc/news/dinamo-zagreb-chelsea-live-aubameyang-24940590)with Zagreb star Mislav Orsic opening the scoring for the hosts. It was the moment to give him a break instead of putting him on the bench and having travel issues. The 30-year-old has been central to much of [Chelsea](https://www.football.london/chelsea-fc/) themselves were involved in one such incident in their 2-1 win over West Ham, and whilst the new Champions League VAR won't be able to change more subjective decisions like [Jared Bowen's alleged foul on Edouard Mendy](https://www.football.london/chelsea-fc/fixtures-results/rice-chelsea-controversial-var-decision-24924246), it will be able to quickly decipher offside calls that have previously taken time away from matches and stunted the atmosphere for celebrating fans. He grew into the game as it wore on and combined well with Thomas in the second half. The first choice keeper was also caught out with a failed punch attempt in the lead up to Michail Antonio's goal in the Blues' 2-1 victory. Tuchel's side laboured in attack once more and despite a lively start, once Mislav Orsic opened the scoring, Aubameyang's impact became less and less noticeable. It's game day and the Blues are in Champions League action as they take on Mateo Kovacic's boyhood club Dinamo Zagreb in the Group E opener.

Piere Aubameyang of Chelsea. Getty. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Chelsea Chelsea Football Club. Mateo Kovacic Chelsea 2022-23 Getty.

WHAT THEY SAID: Kovacic has said of having Aubameyang on board at Stamford Bridge: “I can say he will be a big addition to us. It’s normal for him to score goals and I hope he will do it here at Chelsea also.” The Blues invested heavily in Romelu Lukaku during the summer of 2021, but quickly decided that he was not right to lead their line and the Belgian has subsequently returned to Inter on loan.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is preparing to make his debut for Chelsea, donning a face mask, with the former Arsenal striker returning to the Premier League ...

He said: “I needed a mask which represents me and that's the Black Panther. The second time, it was my son’s birthday, when I was playing for Dortmund. It was a tribute to a goalkeeper at the club, Jeremie Janot. “On his birthday, I put the mask on to celebrate that. So he would be okay but we need to check it and we need to check it with no contact, half-contact, and then full contact. A bow for the Blues has been delayed slightly due to an unfortunate injury being picked up.

Chelsea looked poor across the board in a loss to Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb, and their start to the Champions League offered few positives.

[Marc Cucurella](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/259910/Marc-Cucurella), N/R -- Replaced Chilwell in the 71st minute and was unable to make many notable attacking moves, while he was beaten to the ball a few times while trying to defend. [Jorginho](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/165778/jorginho), 5 -- Replaced Kovacic in the 59th minute and tried to move the ball and make things happen, but couldn't manage to find a way through the Dinamo defence. [Christian Pulisic](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/225607/christian-pulisic), N/R -- Replaced Sterling in the 75th minute and tried to get into dangerous areas but couldn't quite make them count. Almost found [Armando Broja](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/291535/Armando-Broja) at the back post after doing well to reach [Jorginho](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/233721/Jorginho)'s pass. [Armando Broja](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/291535/armando-broja), 5 -- Replaced Aubameyang in the 59th minute and flashed a ball towards the front post moments after coming on as he tried to inject some extra energy into their play. [Kai Havertz](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/231182/Kai-Havertz), 5 -- Had encouraging flashes with some good runs and crosses that came close to finding Aubameyang, although a poor touch let him down when there was a chance to break through later in the half. [Ben Chilwell](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/225426/ben-chilwell), 5 -- Headed away Orsic's shot well. [Reece James](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/189007/Reece-James), 5 -- Got into good positions but his passing was poor at times, as was his crossing in the first half with too many of his attempts tamely hitting [Robert Ljubicic](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/273480/Robert-Ljubicic). Got forward a lot of the time but found himself being well-marshalled by [Sadegh Moharrami](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/194870/Sadegh-Moharrami) and Stefan Ristovski. [Hakim Ziyech](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/176733/Hakim-Ziyech), 3 -- Replaced Azpilicueta at halftime and showed early intent with a shot from range, even if it didn't trouble Livakovic. His late chest to [Christian Pulisic](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/225607/Christian-Pulisic) could have ended up being an assist. Completely wasted the opportunity to counter by making a poor pass following a Dinamo mistake and didn't do much in the second period.

Former Chelsea winger Joe Cole has highlighted two of the Blues' weak links after Thomas Tuchel's side lost 1-0 away to Dinamo Zagreb in their opening ...

We don’t finish our half chances, we don’t feel it when the game is there to put to bed in the first 15-20 minutes, and then we concede after one counter attack, it was too easy and then it was a struggle." "The first 15 minutes, it was the way they approached the game, they took Zagreb far too lightly. I need to find the solutions for the next match of course." [Hakim] Ziyech has a lot of talent, but it is just not clicking for him at Chelsea so it’s a disappointing night for the club, a shock result." The only positive for Thomas Tuchel once the dust settles is that there will be lots of players knocking at his door saying why aren’t I playing and wanting to be given a chance. Mislav Orsic scored the only goal of the match in the first half after a swift counter attack, and Chelsea were unable to find a way past Dominik Livakovic in the Croatian side's goal.

Piere Aubameyang of Chelsea. Getty. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Chelsea Chelsea Football Club. Mateo Kovacic Chelsea 2022-23 Getty.

WHAT THEY SAID: Kovacic has said of having Aubameyang on board at Stamford Bridge: “I can say he will be a big addition to us. It’s normal for him to score goals and I hope he will do it here at Chelsea also.” The Blues invested heavily in Romelu Lukaku during the summer of 2021, but quickly decided that he was not right to lead their line and the Belgian has subsequently returned to Inter on loan.

Chelsea began their Champions League group stage campaign in disappointing fashion as they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia.

We are not finished, we are not happy with our results, and we are not happy with the way we play in general. "There is no day off," Tuchel said. A lack of determination, a lack of hunger, and a lack of intensity to actually do the things that we need at the highest level. There is no respite for Tuchel and his players. "Obviously, I was in the wrong movie as I did not see that coming. Yet the nature of Chelsea's performance in Zagreb resulted in Tuchel cutting a frustrated and irritated figure on the touchline and in his post-match press conference.

CHELSEA boss Thomas Tuchel has been warned over his long-term future following Todd Boehly's summer backing.

"I think they have more of a chance in the Champions League than the Premier League, I think that will be too much for them. There is too much of a gap between those two and the rest. He says Chelsea must close the gap on the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool to make the summer spending worthwhile.

Mendy has been a regular starter for the Blues between the sticks ever since he arrived at Stamford Bridge two years ago, but has made high-profile errors ...

despite insisting the stopper has been 'unlucky not bad' recently 'We have two goalkeepers who compete at the highest level. However, he has made high-profile errors in recent games against

Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly has faced further criticism following a mix-up with fellow new signing Wesley Fofana. Joe Cole and Peter Crouch have hit ...

Former England and Liverpool striker Crouch claimed Fofana had to retreat when he saw Koulibaly commit himself forward. "As it happens here, it's a lovely header from Petkovic but Koulibaly's got to do better. Mislav Orsic latched on to Petkovic's header, sprinted past Fofana and expertly finished past Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga. "Watch Koulibaly, he's got to recognise. [Chelsea](/latest/chelsea-fc) defender Kalidou Koulibaly has faced further criticism following a mix-up with fellow new signing Wesley Fofana. He added: "Fofana has to drop there.