Chelsea strengthen UEFA squad with teenage talents Reggie Walsh and Genesis Antwi ahead of Conference League second-leg clash against Copenhagen

Ahead of tonight’s crucial Conference League last-16 second-leg match against Copenhagen, Chelsea have added two promising teenagers to their UEFA squad.

Reggie Walsh, 16, and Genesis Antwi, 17, have been training with the first team at Cobham and could potentially play a role in the game.

Young Talent Stepping Up

Walsh, who has impressed during training, could make history tonight.

If he is included on Enzo Maresca’s bench and comes on as a substitute, he would become Chelsea’s second-youngest debutant ever.

The current record for the youngest debutant is held by Ian ‘Chico’ Hamilton, who was just 16 years and 138 days old when he made his senior debut in 1967, even scoring in that match against Tottenham.

More Youngsters on the Horizon

Along with Walsh and Antwi, two other Cobham talents, Shim Mheuka, 17, and Harrison Murray-Campbell, 18, have also been part of Maresca’s squad training sessions.

They are eligible for tonight’s match, having already been included in previous Conference League squads, such as the December trip to Astana in Kazakhstan.

UEFA’s B-List Rule

UEFA rules allow clubs to add an unlimited number of players to their B list just the night before a match, as long as they were born on or after January 1, 2003, and meet eligibility requirements.

This gives Chelsea more flexibility in including their youth players in important fixtures.

Chelsea’s Advantage Heading into the Second Leg

Chelsea heads into the match with a 2-1 advantage from last week’s first leg in Denmark.

It sets the stage for an exciting second leg, with the Blues aiming to secure a spot in the quarterfinals.