LONDON (AP) _ Chelsea has left Germany captain Michael Ballack off its squad for the group stage of the Champions League.

Ballack was linked with a transfer, most notably to Real Madrid, during the off-season but Chelsea said it omitted the midfielder because the ankle injury that has prevented him from playing this season may rule him out of the majority of the club's six group matches.

However, Germany manager Joachim Loew has said he hopes Ballack will be fit for a 2008 European Championship qualifier at Ireland on Oct. 13, suggesting the 30-year-old midfielder would miss just two Champions League matches.

Chelsea could add Ballack to its squad if it qualifies for the next phase since clubs are then allowed to name three additional players. His omission, however, also means he would be eligible to play for another club in the competition if he left during the January transfer window.

That would make Ballack, who has been at Chelsea for one year, a more attractive target for major clubs.

Ballack struggled in the Premier League last season but started all of Chelsea's Champions League matches until he missed the semifinal defeat to Liverpool because of injury. He missed the rest of the season after having surgery, reportedly angering Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho with the timing of the operation.

The Blues announced their squad late Monday, naming a smaller group than UEFA regulations allow.

Teams can have a 25-man squad for the group stage, but three players have to be what UEFA calls ``locally trained.''

A locally trained player has either been registered with his current club for three seasons or 36 months between the age of 15 and 21, or has been registered with a club from the same country for the same amount of time.

Although age and nationality are not taken into account, only captain John Terry fits that description, so the Blues named a squad of 23.