Jose Names 21-Man Squad To Take On Schalke, Find Out If Cole & Schurrle Made It

Chelsea get back to Champions League action when they take on Schalke in Germany on Tuesday night in what could be a crucial match in Group E.

The Blues currently sit third in the group standings after recovering from a shock defeat to Basel on match-day one to beat Steaua Bucharest last time out, so the upcoming double-header with Schalke is likely to prove vital.

Ahead of the game, boss Jose Mourinho has named his squad on Chelseafc.com with 21 players on board to Gelsenkirchen from Gatwick Airport on Monday afternoon.

The good news is that attacker Andre Schurrle has made the flight and is in the squad after missing Saturday’s 4-1 win over Cardiff with a muscle injury picked up while away with the German national team last week. He took part in full training on Monday morning so is in contention to feature.

However, the bad news is that left-back Ashley Cole misses out and hasn’t travelled with the rest of the squad. Cole sustained a rib injury during Chelsea’s 3-1 win over Norwich earlier this month and has been forced to sit on the sidelines for England’s recent World Cup double-header as well as Saturday clash with Cardiff.

He did take part in training today but Mourinho feels tomorrow’s game has come too soon for the 32-year-old and left him back in west London to continue his rehabilitation.

Marco van Ginkel is the only other injury victim so Mourinho has taken a strong 21-man squad with him to Germany.

What would be your preferred starting team for the game? Share your views below.