Bridge replaces Cole for Chelsea

Ashley Cole was left out of the Chelsea team to face Levski Sofia and replaced by Wayne Bridge as Jose Mourinho sprang a surprise in the Champions League.

Claude Makelele and Arjen Robben joined left-back Cole among the substitutes for the first away game of the Blues’ Champions League campaign.

Teenager John Obi Mikel was given his first competitive start for the club, coming into midfield alongside Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack and Michael Essien.

As expected, John Terry was declared fit to lead the team after overcoming the back problem which ruled him out of Saturday’s win at Fulham.

Paulo Ferreira reverted to his usual right-back position after playing as an emergency centre-half at Craven Cottage, and Andriy Shevchenko and Didier Drogba continued up front.

Levski fans turned out in force for their first home game in the group stages of the competition.

They packed into Sofia’s 42,000-seater Vasil Levski National Stadium well over an hour before kick-off despite the rain which soaked the Bulgarian capital.

Levski boss Stanimir Stoilov has injury problems with top-scorer Georgi Ivanov only fit enough for a place on the bench because of a hip injury.

Levski Sofia: Petkov, Milanov, Topuzakov, Tomasic, Wagner, Borimirov, Bardon, Eromoigbe, Telkiyski, Stanislav Angelov, Yovov.

Subs: Mihailov, Hristov, Georgi Ivanov, Minev, Ognyanov, Miroslav Ivanov, Koprivarov.

Chelsea: Cech, Paulo Ferreira, Terry, Ricardo Carvalho, Bridge, Mikel, Essien, Ballack, Lampard, Shevchenko, Drogba.

Subs: Hilario, Ashley Cole, Makelele, Boulahrouz, Robben, Kalou, Wright-Phillips.

Referee: Laurent Duhamel (France)