firsts
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Denis Zakaria could make their Chelsea debuts against Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League, reveals Thomas Tuchel
by Sam May · talkSPORTPierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Denis Zakaria could both make their Chelsea bows on Tuesday night, having travelled with the squad for their Champions League clash.
The Blues secured the services of Aubameyang for £10million from Barcelona this summer, in a deal that saw Marcos Alonso head in the other direction.
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Switzerland international midfielder Zakaria also followed suit in joining on transfer deadline day, swapping Juventus’ Allianz Stadium for Stamford Bridge.
Both could make their debuts in the Champions League on Tuesday night, when Chelsea take on Dinamo Zagreb in the Croatian capital, Tuchel has confirmed.
Aubameyang, has had a custom-made face-mask fitted to protect a broken jaw suffered during a home break whilst in Barcelona.
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“If there is an issue today we will not put him [Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang] in, but there was no issue for him yesterday. Is he ready to start? I think he cannot play 90 minutes so we have to manage the decision,” Tuchel said in his pre-match press conference on Monday.
“He needs minutes for his rhythm.”
On the mask and if he can be the superhero tomorrow: “Don’t put any further ideas into Auba’s head, please! When he scores, he can celebrate.
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“He is hungry to play for us, that is what we felt from the first moment and he is invited to prove a point.”
Tuchel also confirmed experienced defender Thiago Silva has missed the trip, as the club take care of his welfare.
“We decided with Thiago he will have a break from travelling after playing every minute so far. It was the moment to give him a break rather than put him on the bench and have travel issues,” Tuchel added.
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“We could take everybody to Zagreb to train with everybody. That includes Denis [Zakaria] and Auba [Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang], if it it goes well they will be available.”
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