flag
back Back
Spotted: Mykhailo Mudryk makes Chelsea return during Tottenham injury layoff
Xabi Alonso admits Chelsea struggle to maintain quality over course of full game

Tottenham loanee Mykhailo Mudryk made a return to Chelsea as Shakhtar Donetsk beat AEK Athens 3-1 in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

Shakhtar are playing their Champions League home games at Stamford Bridge this season due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian champions have not played at their Donbas Arena home in Donetsk since 2014 and have staged European home games in Poland, Germany and Slovenia since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

In a bid to reduce travel commitments, Shakhtar were keen to host their Champions League home fixtures in London this season and considered Fulham and Brentford as potential venues.

London also has a sizeable Ukrainian refugee population, and 29,144 people turned out as Shakhtar came from behind to beat AEK Athens, with Mudryk and former Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko - now the president of the Ukrainian Football Association - both in the stands.

Mudryk, who is currently on a season-long loan at London rivals Tottenham, has not played a competitive game for Chelsea in nearly two years.

The 25-year-old was cleared to play again with immediate effect this summer after he resolved his anti-doping disciplinary proceedings with the Football Association (FA), and he headed to Spurs in a shock move on Deadline Day to reunite with ex-Shakhtar boss Roberto De Zerbi, alongside centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo.

Mudryk has endured a frustrating start to life in north London and has been out of action since the beginning of September with an ankle ligament injury suffered in training just days after his debut off the bench at Nottingham Forest.

He will be ineligible to face his parent club when Spurs travel to Stamford Bridge next Saturday, even if fit.

Shakhtar, meanwhile, hope to average 30,000 fans across their four matches at Stamford Bridge, which has a capacity of 40,044, with fixtures against Sporting, Fenerbahce and Real Madrid still to come.

You may like

Sir Alex Ferguson has only had good things to say about boss tipped to replace Michael Carrick

mirror.co.uk 4 hours ago

Why does everyone hate Arsenal?

fourfourtwo.com 11 hours ago

What's gone wrong for Chelsea talent Kendry Paez?

aol.com 1 month ago

Man City’s ‘irrefutable evidence’ leaks in appeal against Premier League's guilty verdict

sportbible.com 2 hours ago

Ranking Jose Mourinho’s former clubs by how much they still love him

planetfootball.com 2 days ago

Losing Ollie Watkins could have broken Aston Villa but Nicolas Jackson has made them better

fourfourtwo.com 1 hour ago

Olivier Giroud admitted he had to leave Arsenal for Chelsea after what boss asked him to do

mirror.co.uk 3 days ago

'I Lasted 103 Games as Man Utd Manager - But Man City’s Cheating Cost Me My Job'

givemesport.com 1 hour ago

Man City Predicted Lineup vs. Ipswich: Changes on the Horizon After PSG Defeat

si.com 5 hours ago

No Bruno or Rashford: How Man Utd Could Line Up With Antonio Conte as New Manager

givemesport.com 12 hours ago