Chelsea omit THREE key players from their Conference League squad for the league phase - with the Blues relying on their depth to help them reach the knockout stages

Chelsea have omitted three key players from their Conference League squad for the league phase.

The Blues qualified for Europe's third-tier competition last season after finishing sixth in the Premier League under Mauricio Pochettino, with Manchester United stealing their place in the Europa League after winning the FA Cup.

In the league phase, teams will play six matches in the new-look format - three at home and three away - with the Blues to face Gent, Heidenheim, Astana, Shamrock Rovers, Panathinaikos and Noah.

They will do so without three key men though, with the club submitting their squad list on Thursday ahead of the start of the competition in just under a month's time.

The headline absentee is Cole Palmer, who is widely-regarded as one of Chelsea's best players. Romeo Lavia and Wesley Fofana have also been left out.

Palmer has pulled out of the England squad for the current international break, but his omission is understood not to be related to any potential issue.

Lavia and Fofana, meanwhile, have only returned from long-term injury issues this season.

It is believed that Chelsea want to rest players with a long season ahead amid their participation in the Club World Cup following the conclusion of the domestic season.

The revamped competition, which will also include the likes of Manchester City and Real Madrid will run from June 15 to July 13 in 2025.

When declaring their squads for the competition, clubs must not have more than 25 List A players named at once, while an unlimited number of players can be named on List B.

To be eligible for List B, the player needs to have been born on or after January 1 2003 and have been eligible to play for the club for any uninterrupted period of two years since their 15th birthday.

Due to the nature of the size of Chelsea's squad, players had to be cut, with both Palmer and Fofana only qualifying for List A.

Lavia, who is 20 and was born in 2004, is eligible for List B but has not been selected.

Defender Levi Colwill is the premier name on List B, while other senior squad members are named on List A.

They include Jadon Sancho, Pedro Neto and Joao Felix, though Ben Chilwell, who has failed to secure a move away from the club after being told he was not in manager Enzo Maresca's plans, has been left out too.

The Blues were active in the transfer market again this summer with dozens of players in their squad, but did their best to offload large numbers towards the end of the window.

The likes of Ian Maatsen and Conor Gallagher left permanently, while Raheem Sterling left on loan for Arsenal.

There are 36 teams in total in the Conference League, with the top eight teams from the league phase moving through to the last-16.

Teams that finish ninth to 24th will contest the play-offs, with sides 25th to 36th eliminated.

Elsewhere for Premier League teams, Tyrell Malacia has been included in United's Europa League squad, with Djed Spence amond those left out of Tottenham's squad.

Teams can re-submit squads ahead of the knockout stages.