Joao Felix will miss Chelsea's Conference League clash against Astana on Thursday night after being deemed unfit to travel. The 25-year-old has featured in all four of the Blues' games in the competition after finding opportunities in the Premier League hard to come by.
On Wednesday night, however, a report from The Athletic's Simon Johnson revealed that the Portugal international had picked up an "issue" and was unlikely to be part of the squad that travelled to Kazakhstan. And those injury fears were confirmed by Chelsea just a few hours later when Felix, who has scored five goals since re-signing for the Blues in the summer, was left out of the official squad.
At this moment in time, the exact nature of the issue that prohibited Felix from travelling is unknown, though it is likely to be explained by Enzo Maresca in his post-match conference on Thursday night.
The Italian, though, has included a number of academy players in Chelsea's squad for the clash, with Richard Olise, Kaiden Wilson and Ato Ampah all involved with the senior squad for the first time. Kiano Dyer, Shim Mhueka and Harrison Murray-Campbell have also made the trip to Kazakhstan.
Chelsea's full squad for Thursday's Conference League clash against Astana is as follows:
Goalkeepers: Filip Jorgensen, Lucas Bergstrom, Max Merrick
Defenders: Axel Disasi, Tosin Adarabioyo, Renato Veiga, Josh Acheampong, Harrison Murray-Campbell, Richard Olise, Kaiden Wilson
Midfielders: Carney Chukwuemeka, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Kiano Dyer, Sam Rak-Sakyi, Harvey Vale
Forwards: Pedro Neto, Ato Ampah, Tyrique George, Marc Guiu, Shumaira Mheuka
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Chelsea flag prior the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Leg One match between Chelsea FC and Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge. (Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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