Chelsea

[Photos] Injury Boost: Key Man Returns As Chelsea Squad Flies-Out For BATE Clash

Olivier Giroud and Eden Hazard were in the Chelsea squad that flew out to Belarus this afternoon ahead of their Europa League clash with BATE Borisov

by
Fraser Crawford
November 7, 2018

Olivier Giroud and Eden Hazard were in the Chelsea squad that flew out to Belarus this afternoon ahead of their Europa League clash with BATE Borisov on Thursday evening.

Giroud missed Chelsea’s 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon due to a muscle problem but the French international looks set to return against BATE tomorrow as he was pictured setting off for Minsk with the rest of the squad from west London this afternoon.

The strikers return will be a welcome boost for Maurizio Sarri but it will be interesting to see who the Blues boss goes for up front on Thursday night as Alvaro Morata has found a bit of form having scored a brace at the weekend.

Chelsea are expected to name a strong side tomorrow and Hazard could make his first appearance in the Europa League this season as he was also among the travelling party they flew-out of the capital today [pictured above].

Hazard recently missed three games due to a back injury that he suffered against Manchester United last month and returned with a second half cameo appearance off the bench against Palace on Sunday.

The Belgian international is expected to feature against BATE but Sarri may resist the temptation to start the attacker so Hazard may be saved for the Premier League clash with Everton on Sunday afternoon.

The likes of Jorginho, Willian, Cesar Azpilicueta, Emerson and Pedro were also pictured leaving Cobham today while youngsters Ethan Ampadu and Callum Hudson-Odoi could get a run-out as they were also in the travelling party.

Chelsea head in to the BATE game sitting top of Group L on nine points following the 3-1 win in the reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge so they’ll be looking to maintain their 100% record and seal progression to the knockout stages with a win on Thursday night.

Here are some more photos of the squad from today:

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? Giroud! It’s time to travel to Belarus! #CFC #Chelsea

A post shared by Chelsea FC (@chelseafc) on Nov 7, 2018 at 2:09am PST

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Next stop, Minsk! ✈️ @ethanamp26 @calteck10 (birthday boy! ?) #CFC #Chelsea

A post shared by Chelsea FC (@chelseafc) on Nov 7, 2018 at 3:06am PST