On Tuesday, Chelsea are set to be in Champions League action for the first time this season and will want to get their campaign underway by setting the pace early on. The Blues face Dinamo Zagreb away from home first up as Salzburg take on AC Milan in the other Group E clash.
Chelsea's start to the season has been far from straightforward, however, and Thomas Tuchel's men have struggled for form. Few are guaranteed a place in the starting line-up with Mason Mount and Kai Havertz dropping out of the first XI for West Ham's visit to Stamford Bridge at the weekend.
The return of European football ensures Chelsea's calendar is rampant until the break for the World Cup which will have its own impact on team selection as rotation becomes more evident following the transition to two matches each week, With late transfer window additions in Wesley Fofana, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Denis Zakaria, Tuchel may consider his squad more prepared than ever to face such challenges.
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football.london takes a look at some of the questions that may be on the German coach's mind ahead of Tuesday night.
Ben Chilwell's chance?
Marc Cucurella's arrival has seen Ben Chilwell required to wait for his opportunities from the bench. His goal and assist against West Ham certainly showed the kind of impact he can have. Blues boss Tuchel slowly introduced Chilwell to his plans last term, and after a lengthy injury period, appears to be doing this same again, suggesting he lacks rhythm.
Tuchel said: "Fitness, I think he has the full fitness he can have from training and pre-season matches. Of course, he can feel fitter and be fitter if he is playing in consecutive Premier League matches. In my opinion, he lacks rhythm and a bit of feeling from the game. This is what I see in training. The player always thinks he is ready, and I think there are some things still missing.
"He started for us against Everton, came on against Southampton, today, and had a huge impact. This is what we want from him. In my view, the wing-back position is his best position: he gives energy, runs, and deliveries. So I am very happy because these things need to happen more than any talk or session with me. He must feel it and experience being decisive back on the pitch."
Starting a match will only aid his chance of experiencing those moments and as fixtures congest together, perhaps Cucurella will be due a rest and Chilwell is certainly no backup option. His chance to prove himself could come in Zagreb.
Did injury enforce subs?
While the start of Edouard Mendy's season has seen some errors, and Kepa Arrizabalaga has remained at the club, Tuchel appears fairly unequivocal about the Senegal international remaining his number one choice in the net. However, while questions were raised over Mendy's performance at the weekend, it appears he did pick up a knock too.
Following the match, Tuchel said: "He was in a lot of pain, and we have to see. It's too early to comment on that. I think at the moment he is a bit unlucky in what he is doing. In training, he is fantastic, and he is, in general, a very calm and self-reflective guy who is aware that he lacks a little bit of luck at the moment.
"Things do not go in his favour. If he has maybe a situation where his action isn't 100% clear, he gets punished for it massively. He is just in this moment, and it feels like it's not so much his fault. I have the feeling because he tries everything, he is very calm and focused. We will keep on supporting him."
By Monday night, Mendy's condition should be known, but Kepa will provide a suitable option if he is needed, with Tuchel suggesting the keeper is 'absolutely ready to play. It's on us if we give him the chance or not but he's 100% ready given how he behaves and how trains'.
Jorginho's return
Against West Ham, Chelsea's midfield was an area of change as Mateo Kovacic, Conor Gallagher and Ruben Loftus-Cheek made up a midfield three as Jorginho dropped to the bench for the first time this season. The Italian midfielder featured for just seven minutes of the Blues' win, with Kovacic earning his longest appearance of the season following his knee issue.
The Croatian's reaction to the weekend's outing may dictate how he is used in Zagreb against his former team, while Loftus-Cheek continues to generate a head of steam having made five starts in a row for the Blues.
Regardless of match fitness however, Jorginho may see his return, with his ability to dictate play perhaps more suited to European football than Gallagher's more erratic style. The 30-year-old has been exposed at times this season however, and whether the weekend's decision was simply rotation or a wider decision remains to be seen.
More forward line rotation
The Blues played with a front two again West Ham, with Christian Pulisic coming into the XI and Havertz and Mount dropping to the bench. Given the duo's struggles in front of goal it appeared that they had perhaps been dropped rather than simply rested. The German forward made quite the impact in his cameo however, bagging his first goal of the season and earning Chelsea their win.
Armando Broja has been snapping at the heels for an opportunity for his first start too and has provided plenty of energy in his performances when the Blues have looked lacking in attack.
To see players come would mean that Pulisic could return to the bench, a change of shape is facilitated or that Raheem Sterling would be rested. However, the latter seems unlikely at the moment, given his ability to find positions in the opposition box in a way few other players have realised this season. His three goals and one assist sets him apart as the club's most productive player this season, so to not start him would appear a risk for the moment.
It remains to be seen whether Aubameyang could be selected for the game in any capacity having undergone his first training session on Sunday. Regardless of it's success that probably means he has not yet embedded himself within Tuchel's system but perhaps he could earn a place on the bench.
Tuchel said: "Yes, he trains tomorrow [Sunday], but I cannot tell you if he trains with full contact or individually. We'll need to see. He has the mask, and the doctors tell me the mask is good and he feels comfortable with it.
"So he would be ok, but we need to check it, and we need to check it with no contact, half-contact, and then full contact. We need to see how he feels about it. It's too early to make a prediction, but he'll be in training tomorrow morning, and we'll see."
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