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Billy Gilmour will not be the only teenager starting for Chelsea in tonight’s Champions League group stage match against Krasnodar, even after Callum Hudson-Odoi was ruled out with a most unfortunate hamstring injury.
As per a tweet from the Telegraph’s Matt Law, fellow 19-year-old Faustino “Tino” Anjorin will also get the starting nod. If true, it will be Anjorin’s full senior debut after making his first appearance last season as a substitute in our 7-1 win over Grimsby Town in the third round of the League Cup, and then following that up with a second substitute appearance in the 4-0 win over Everton just before the COVID lockdown in March. Tino turned 19 just two weeks ago!
I'm off to Stamford Bridge later. Not much riding on the game, but plenty to take an interest in - not least Billy Gilmour and Tino Anjorin who both start for Chelsea #cfc
— Matt Law (@Matt_Law_DT) December 8, 2020
Anjorin, who signed a new long-term contract in June, has been starring for the U23s so far this season (and also for the U18s in finishing out last season’s FA Youth Cup), scoring 3 goals in 6 appearances, which is fantastic to see especially after his recent injury troubles that saw him miss several months including the start of the season.
The man named after Faustino Asprilla is capable of displaying his skills and winning mentality in both attack or in midfield, but it’s likely that he will be deployed up front to help us deal with the injuries to Hudson-Odoi and Hakim Ziyech.
Tonight’s match just got more interesting!
Anjorin played his first 90 minutes in more than six months on Friday and spent some three months of that injured. Expect to see him at some point tonight.
— Chelsea Youth (@chelseayouth) November 2, 2020