Chelsea replace Dario Essugo with Facundo Buonanotte in Champions League squad

Chelsea have made a late change to their Champions League squad with Facundo Buonanotte now set to be included, according to BBC.

Buonanotte joined Chelsea on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion before the summer transfer deadline.

He was initially left out of Enzo Maresca’s list as the Blues struggled to fill their home-grown quota.

However, Dario Essugo’s long-term injury has given him a lifeline and a chance to play for the Blues in the Champions League.

Essugo is set to spend a long time in recovery after undergoing surgery on a thigh injury he picked up while on duty with Portugal’s Under-21 national team.

The former Sporting CP midfielder is set to be out for at least 12 weeks. That leaves Chelsea short on midfield options, with Romeo Lavia also struggling for fitness.

Lavia has returned to full first-team training, but Maresca is keen to make sure there are no relapses this time around and has chosen to break him back into the fold delicately.

Meanwhile, Chelsea’s move to replace Essugo with Buonanotte was made possible by a new UEFA regulation that allows clubs to make temporary replacements for injured players.

They can only use that card before the sixth matchday of the group stage. The rule was passed to prevent teams from being unfairly weakened and to reduce the workload on available players.

Chelsea’s last-minute tweak has given Buonanotte a lifeline. When he signed for Chelsea, he admitted that playing Champions League football would be a huge step in his career.

He was left frustrated when he failed to make the cut. But he now has the chance to show what he can do on the biggest stage in club football.

Buonanotte made his Chelsea debut in the 2-2 draw against Brentford, although he was only handed 45 minutes of action.

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