Thomas Tuchel has explained why Thiago Silva did not travel with the Chelsea team to Croatia for their opening Champions League game against Dinamo Zagreb.
The Blues kick-start their European campaign in Maksimir on Tuesday but will now be without experienced centre-back Silva.
Silva has started all six of Chelsea’s Premier League matches this campaign and Tuchel believes it was the right time to rest the 37-year-old.
‘We decided with Thiago that he will have a break from the travelling and the stress after playing every minute so far in very intense matches,’ Tuchel said at his pre-match press conference on Monday.
‘It was the moment to give him a break instead of putting him on the bench and having the travel issues. He takes care of his recovery.’
While Chelsea will be without Silva tomorrow, Tuchel could hand debuts to deadline-day signings Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Denis Zakaria who is on loan from Juventus.
‘We had the opportunity to take everyone who was in training and available to Zagreb to do our last training,’ Tuchel added. ‘That includes Denis and Auba.
‘[Aubameyang] had a test with his [protective face] mask and felt fine, trained normal. If everything goes well today they will both be available.’
Under Tuchel, Chelsea won the UEFA Champions League in 2021, before suffering a quarter-final defeat to winners Real Madrid last season.
The Blues are in Group E this year alongside Croatia champions Dinamo Zagreb, Serie A club AC Milan and Austrian side Red Bull Salzburg.
On the threat of Zagreb, Tuchel said: ‘They are used to winning, it’s a winning team. They are used to being on the top. That shapes a certain mentality.
‘They made it through the qualification, which is never easy. They deserve to be here and I’m pretty sure they will plan to play a very technical, emotional game against us.
‘They have individual quality like always, like every team of Dinamo Zagreb and any Croatian team. A lot of individual quality.
‘We are ourselves in a moment where we need to improve, we are not fully happy with the results, with our performances. We need to take the next step.
‘It’s the Champions League, very exciting. We are very aware what the challenge is to play in a first match away in a group stage. It’s difficult.
‘It can end up in complicated situations but I think it’s very important that we accept it and play a humble match, don’t get stuck in our own expectations.
‘We will accept the fight and the challenge and then we can also have the belief and trust we are able to win. We need to perform, for sure.’
