Gary Cahill admits that it is natural to worried about his starting place in the Chelsea side following their three Premier League wins on the bounce.

The club captain was suspended for all three matches after the straight red card that he picked up in the opening day defeat to Burnley at Stamford Bridge.

The 31-year-old has been replaced by new signing Antonio Rudiger in the side, however Cahill is back in contention for selection as the Blues get their Champions League campaign under way with the visit of Qarabag tomorrow night.

Asked if he was worried about losing his starting spot, Cahill said: "I seem to get asked this question every single year. It's natural. If you're out the team, the team does well... I'm part of the squad and I'm an individual player that's trying to play in the squad.

"They have done fantastically well in the last few weeks. I am available for selection now and whenever you're available you can influence things. It's about the team. It's about the team doing well and that's the main thing.

(Image: Michael Regan/Getty Images)

"Any footballer will tell you, the most frustrating thing is when you can't play football. Because of internationals it was a large period of time that I was out.

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"All you can do when you're out is try to influence the lads, train as hard as you can and help them with important fixtures to prepare for. Being involved in that process then support on the weekend.

I'm delighted to be back and available for selection. I feel like my season's just starting, it was disappointing first game for me. I'm itching to play and I'm looking forward to getting back involved with the squad now."