Chelsea stars in high spirits as they prepare for Qarabag

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Chelsea face Qarabag in the Champions League on Tuesday at Stamford Bridge
After missing last season, Antonio Conte's side will look to get off to flying start
They go into the game on the back of their 2-1 league victory against Leicester
The Chelsea camp were in a relaxed mood on the eve of their European clash

Published: 07:09 EDT, 11 September 2017 | Updated: 18:57 EDT, 11 September 2017

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Chelsea mark their return to the Champions League with a fixture against Qarabag on Tuesday night at Stamford Bridge.

And Antonio Conte's players appeared to be in very high spirits as they geared up for their clash against the Azerbaijani outfit at their Cobham training base.

Chelsea stars, including the likes of Eden Hazard, Pedro, David Luiz and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois were all pictured looking in a very relaxed mood on the eve of their European clash.

Chelsea trained on Monday ahead of their Champions League clash with Qarabag on Tuesday

Chelsea make their return to the Champions League after missing out last season

Eden Hazard enjoys a laugh during training on Monday at Chelsea's Cobham training base

Hazard will be hoping to get more minutes under his belt after recovering from an ankle injury

The Blues are clearly looking forward to playing in Europe's elite competition again after missing out last season following a disastrous defence of their Premier League title back in 2015-16 season.

And ahead of Tuesday's game, Antonio Conte admitted that the Chelsea camp, who beat Leicester 2-1 in the Premier League on the weekend, are 'looking forward' to the match.

‘We are excited for the Champions League and we are looking forward to playing this game,’ Conte told the club's official website.

The Belgium winger came on in the 78th minute against Leicester on Saturday afternoon

Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois enjoys a game of keepy-ups during Monday's session

David Luiz was in high spirits on the eve of the clash with Qarabag at Stamford Bridge

‘My job is to think only on the pitch. It is important to work with my players to try to do our best. Don’t forget at the start of last season, not one person thought that Chelsea could win the league.

‘It is not important for me if somebody is saying we are not favourites or we are not so strong to play in the competition. We have to only focus on the pitch and try to do our best.

‘When you are the coach of a great team, or a player in a great team, expectation is always very high and I think we must be prepared to have this type of pressure. I always like to have the pressure and I put the pressure on myself.’