Andreas Christensen stood himself down from selection for Chelsea's FA Cup final despite the defender not being injured.

The match squad was not used for the penalty shoot-out.

Malang sarr and Cesar Azpilicueta are the defensive options on the bench, with Thiago Silva playing through the pain of a knee problem.

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When the season ends, it's believed that Christensen will be moving to Barcelona on a free transfer.

The Blues were short-handed on Saturday because of the withdrawal of the man who has battled a number of minor injuries and illness issues in recent weeks.

Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen (PA)
Image: Christensen has made 34 appearances in all competitions this season for Chelsea

The Blues will attempt to close out a third-place finish with a home game against Leicester on Thursday and a trip toWatford on Sunday.

The 54-cap centre-back still has the chance to add a final word to his career, but his absence on Saturday was a surprise.

Todd Boehly is poised to complete his takeover of Chelsea, but while the summer should bring a number of new players to the club, manager Thomas Tuchel admitted a sizeable gap still remains.

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A view of Chelsea's Stamford Bridge stadium (AP)
Football finance expert Kieran Maguire explains what is likely to happen next for Chelsea after Todd Boehly's £4.5 billion pound deal was agreed

Antonio Rudiger will join Real Madrid.

Asked if it was possible for the Blues to catch up with the Reds in the summer transfer window, Tuchel said it was "probably impossible".

They are improving their squad in every transfer window they have.

It seems like we are losing key players. We are losing, of course. We already have a gap to close and this is tough.

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Thomas Tuchel
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel says that his team are 'in pain' following their defeat on penalties to Liverpool in the FA Cup final, and was sure that momentum was on their side.

He has big money for the club, so I don't think he wants to drop his ambition.

That would be a big surprise, so no, I don't think so.

We will share our opinion in more detail over the next weeks and I am sure he is as ambitious to build a competitive Chelsea for the highest level as we are.