Chelsea have been handed a bad omen ahead of their crunch Champions League tie against AC Milan.
Graham Potter's next two European matches will both be against the Italian champions and there is pressure on his side to get at least four points from the games in order to keep group qualification in their own hands and even on the cards at all.
With just one point from the opening two games - a 1-1 draw against RB Salzburg in Potter's first match in charge - Chelsea find themselves in a perilous position in the group with the two toughest matches of the group still to play.
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Four players were handed an early opportunity to get a boost ahead of the game, travelling to play at San Siro with England, but a 1-0 loss in the UEFA Nations League match - which subsequently relegated Gareth Southgate's side on another poor night for the Three Lions - saw Chelsea players given a bad omen.
Raheem Sterling and Reece James both started the game whilst Mason Mount was an unused substitute and Ben Chilwell didn't make the squad as he continues to be out of favour for his national side. The defeat for the Chelsea contingent comes as a precursor for their trip to Italy on October 11.
The first game between the sides, which will also be Fikayo Tomori's first return to Stamford Bridge since leaving in January 2021, will be played at SW6 on October 5 in a game that almost becomes a must win, else it puts an immense amount of pressure on winning at San Siro for Potter.
That is already a tough ask for Chelsea on paper, Milan have lost just once in their last 22 home matches after Napoli ended their unbeaten run before the international break. If Potter wants to get his side out of the group then he will need to reverse the fortunes of his England squad and galvanise the rest of the Chelsea squad as well.
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