James believes Blues can compete with Europe's best

Reece James said Chelsea would make their Champions League return confident they were capable of competing with the best teams in the world.

- Jacob Steinberg

Enzo Maresca’s young side are back at Europe’s top table after a two-year absence and face a stern test when they open the league phase by facing Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena tonight. Yet James is not worried about Chelsea’s lack of experience and accepts that July's triumph in the Club World Cup means they are contenders to become European champions.

“It’s still early,” Chelsea’s captain said. “I have no doubts in the club and the team’s ability to go on to compete against the best teams in Europe and the world. We will take that week by week, game by game, and see where we’ve gone at the end of the season.”