Chelsea Begin Europa Conference League Campaign with Gent Visit
Chelsea embark on their first-ever Europa Conference League campaign as they welcome Belgian side Gent to Stamford Bridge on Thursday. The Blues come into the match on the back of a 4-2 Premier League win over Brighton & Hove Albion, extending their winning streak to four matches.
Match Preview
Despite a tumultuous preseason, Chelsea have impressed under new manager Enzo Maresca, sitting just two points off the Premier League summit. Cole Palmer has been a key figure in their resurgence, netting four goals in the victory over Brighton. However, goalkeeper Robert Sanchez's errors allowed Brighton to score twice, revealing some areas for improvement.
Chelsea’s attacking prowess remains strong as they top the Premier League scoring charts with 15 goals and added another five in their recent EFL Cup win over Barrow. Thursday’s match marks Chelsea’s first appearance in the Europa Conference League, a competition where they aim to make history. Already European champions in 2021, Chelsea could become the first club to win the Champions League, Europa League, Cup Winners' Cup, and Conference League.
Their opponents, Gent, have established themselves as consistent European competitors, reaching the quarter-finals of the Conference League last season before being eliminated by eventual winners West Ham United. Gent have navigated their way through six qualifying matches to reach this stage and come into the game in strong form, with 10 wins from their opening 15 matches of the season.
Team News
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca is expected to rotate his squad heavily, resting players like Cole Palmer, who is not in the Conference League squad. Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto, Joao Felix, and Mykhaylo Mudryk could all start after impressing in Chelsea's cup win over Barrow. Reece James remains sidelined, but Romeo Lavia returned last weekend after a six-game absence.
Gent, meanwhile, have had significant turnover in their squad over the summer, with key players such as Julien De Sart and Tarik Tissoudali departing. Andri Gudjohnsen, son of former Chelsea striker Eidur Gudjohnsen, could feature for Gent, while English forward Max Dean is expected to lead the line.
Possible Lineups
Chelsea: Jorgensen; Acheampong, Disasi, Badiashile, Renato Veiga; Lavia, Dewsbury-Hall; Pedro Neto, Joao Felix, Mudryk; Nkunku
Gent: Roef; Mitrovic, Watanabe, Torunarigha; Fadiga, Ito, Delorge-Kneiper, Brown; Gandelman, Dean, Surdez
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