Chelsea could be victims of 'Djokovic rule' as French government's stance revealed before Champions League clash against Lille: Reports

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the French government's rules on vaccination status have clouded Chelsea's Champions League knockout game against Lille.

The fact that many athletes around the globe, for their own personal reasons, have opted against taking COVID vaccination is no longer hidden from anyone, anymore. However, World No.1 Tennis Star, Novak Djokovic found out the consequences of this the harsh way when he was deported from Australia.

Australia's immigration minister Alex Hawke stepped in and said his decision was in the "public interest." Governments all around the globe have been trying to encourage COVID vaccination and trying to strengthen their vaccination drives.

Now, in what has come as a surprise move, French government sources have reportedly announced that any athlete coming to the country will have to be vaccinated. The decision is a strict one and according to the same, the athlete will be barred from entering the sports arena if there is no history of vaccination against the virus.

The Blues are set to face defending Ligue 1 champions Lille in their 'Round of 16' clash in the Champions League in March. According to journalist Kevin Palmer, this decision will directly impact the Blues camp for their second-leg in France and will hamper the participation of their unvaccinated players.

As per the current UEFA guidelines, players who are unable to travel due to local government restrictions in the Champions League games are treated as tested positive. Chelsea's concerns have made it evident that there are unvaccinated players in the squad whose absence could hurt the Blues.

The application of this recent rule could also impact the tie between Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid. The first leg of the game will be played on February 15 at Parc des Princes. Chelsea will await a decision from UEFA authorities who are considering shifting the game to a neutral venue.

However, nothing in that regard is certain right now.

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Chelsea will be determined to go deep into the Champions League knockout stages

Thomas Tuchel will be very serious about his side's title defense in the Champions League, especially after the weekend's 1-0 loss to Manchester City. The Blues started as one of the favorites to win the Premier League but in the last month have lost their way.

After a string of uncharacteristic performances, Chelsea are trailing Pep Guardiola's side by 13 points. They sit 3rd in the points table with Liverpool above them. The Reds have a margin of two points, but notably have played one game less.

In the Champions League group stages, the Blues finished second with 13 points from their six games. The west London club were beaten to top spot by Juventus. The Italians served the Blues their only defeat, a narrow 1-0.

There are quite a few issues in the Chelsea camp right now, including the delicate relationship between Romelu Lukaku and Tuchel. The Belgian striker is not a big fan of the system that his manager is using. However, if the Blues want to mount a successful title defense in Europe, they will want their €115m star and the manager on the same page.