Chelsea hand starts to both Mykhailo Mudryk and Christopher Nkunku in attack for tonight’s Conference League clash with Gent.
The Blues, having come through a play-off tie against Swiss outfit Servette, begin their group stage campaign against the Belgian side at Stamford Bridge on Thursday night and are the bookies’ favourites to win the whole competition.
CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW CHELSEA VS GENT LIVE!
Chelsea are without four-goal hero Cole Palmer, Ben Chilwell, Wesley Fofana and Romeo Lavia, who were all omitted from the squad submitted to UEFA for the group stage.
Meanwhile, Mudryk has only made one start in the Premier League so far this season, but Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca insisted he and others can force their way into his starting XI for Premier League games if they perform well in Europe.
“Hopefully he can do a good game”, Maresca said of Mudryk. “But it’s not just Misha, also Christopher Nkunku. At the moment he’s not starting in the Premier League.
“It does not mean they’re not going to start in the next or two games — just this is the situation at the moment.”
Asked whether he regrets not including Chilwell in his Conference League squad to offer depth at full-back, Maresca asserted: “No.”
He said of his squad ahead of facing Gent: “They are all available, [apart from] the guys that are not in the squad and Reece [James]. They are all available.”
Captain James is a long-term absentee with a hamstring injury, as is youngster Omari Kellyman.
Starting XI: Jorgensen, Disasi, Tosin, Badiashile, Veiga, Casadei, Dewsbury-Hall, Neto, Felix, Mudryk, Nkunku
Subs: Sanchez, Colwill, Cucurella, Caicedo, Dyer, George, Madueke, Guiu
Time and date: 8pm BST on Thursday October 3, 2024
Venue: Stamford Bridge
TV channel: TNT Sports
