Ashley Cole sits out as Chelsea take on Schalke

London: Chelsea left-back Ashley Cole was omitted from the squad that travelled to Germany for Tuesday`s Champions League group game with Schalke, the Premier League club announced on Monday.

Cole trained with his team-mates on Monday morning, having missed England`s last two World Cup qualifiers and Chelsea`s 4-1 win over Cardiff City on Saturday with a rib injury. However, he did not board the plane for the flight to Dusseldorf due to manager Jose Mourinho`s unwillingness to take risks with the 32-year-old`s fitness. "Jose Mourinho believes tomorrow`s (Tuesday`s) game has come just too soon for the left-back and he has remained in the UK," said a story on the Chelsea website. German forward Andre Schurrle, who had been struggling with a leg injury, was a member of the 21-man squad. Schalke lead Group E on six points after two matches, with Chelsea three points back