Chelsea face injury-hit defence and unsettled keeper tough CL group

Chelsea have made an unbeaten start to the 2025-26 season, winning two of their first three Premier League matches, but the club faces pressing questions over squad depth and experience as an injury-hit defence and uncertainty in goal collide with a demanding run of domestic and European fixtures. The Blues return to the Champions League this month and will travel to Bayern Munich on September 17 in a group that also includes Barcelona, Benfica and Ajax, setting up a testing autumn for Enzo Maresca's side.

On paper Chelsea strengthened heavily in the summer, investing in attackers and adding youth to several positions, but doubts remain in two key areas. There is still no settled first choice goalkeeper after last season's errors from Robert Sanchez and Filip Jorgensen, and the club did not add a senior shot-stopper despite widespread links to high-profile names. That uncertainty has left supporters and observers questioning whether Chelsea can consistently compete at the highest level if mistakes from the position persist.

Defensive depth has been hit hardest. Levi Colwill is expected to miss the majority of the season after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury in...