Chelsea boss Rafa Benitez says their Europa League tie at Sparta Prague is too soon for his Nigerian players.

Benitez has ruled out rushing John Obi Mikel and Victor Moses into action after winning the African Cup of Nations with Nigeria on Sunday.

Benitez said: "Flying from South Africa and then Nigeria would be too much so we have left them in London.

"I've had experience in the UEFA Cup with Valencia and Liverpool and when you see the names of teams involved you realise that it is a massive competition."