Chelsea get their Conference League campaign underway when they welcome Belgian side Gent to Stamford Bridge on Thursday.
A Cole Palmer masterclass saw the Blues record a 4-2 win over Brighton & Hove Albion at the weekend, extending their winning run to four matches.
Match preview
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Chelsea have made a mockery of everybody who wrote them off before the start of the season, given the off-field drama that was unfolding on a near-daily basis, with Enzo Maresca making a brilliant start since taking over from Mauricio Pochettino.
Despite being far from perfect, the Blues are just two points off the Premier League summit, with Palmer spearheading their ascent up the table with four goals in their win over Brighton on Saturday.
Two errors from goalkeeper Robert Sanchez which led to goals were a slight concern and show that there is still room for improvement, but they were the first goals Chelsea had conceded since September 1.
Nevertheless, Chelsea are the Premier League's top scorers with 15, and they added another five against Barrow in the EFL Cup last midweek, before the Brighton victory extended their home form to just one defeat in 14 in all competitions.
This fixture represents their first in the relatively new Europa Conference League, with Chelsea set to be arguably the most high-profile club to feature in it since its inception, considering they were European champions just three years ago.
Chelsea also have the opportunity to make history this season, coming into the competition as favourites, they could become the first team to win the 'European quadruple' of the Champions League, Europa League, Cup Winners' Cup and Conference League.
History suggests they have a great opportunity too, as the last two times they featured in a UEFA competition that was not the Champions League, they won it - the Europa League in 2013 and 2019.
Standing in their way on matchday one are Gent, and it is unlikely Chelsea will be lacking confidence, having not lost a club from the Pro League in 29 years, winning five of their eight previous matches against teams from Belgium.
Gent have plenty of European pedigree though in what is their 10th straight season competing on the continent, and under Wouter Vrancken, they have made a promising start to the season.
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Starting in the second qualifying round, Gent had to navigate their way through six matches to get here, seeing off Vikingur, Silkeborg and Partizan Belgrade to take their place in the league phase.
Those results in qualifying have contributed to a run of 10 wins in their opening 15 matches of the season, as Gent are also going well domestically; only runaway leaders Genk have more points after nine matches.
Gent are more accustomed to the Conference League journey than almost any club in Europe, considering they have been ever-present since its debut in 2021, and on their previous three participations, they have reached the knockout stage each time.
An excellent run in 2022-23 saw them make it to the quarter-finals, but their dreams were shattered in London, when they were knocked out by eventual winners West Ham United.
The Belgian side have had previous success in the English capital, though, as they were the club who eliminated Tottenham Hotspur from the Europa League at a sold-out Wembley back in 2017.
Team News
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After making 11 changes for their cup win over Barrow, Maresca could do similar here, especially with the size of the squad at his disposal.
Palmer is not in Chelsea's Conference League squad so he will get the midweek off, and it is unlikely that any of his attacking partners from the weekend will feature either.
That will likely give Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto, Joao Felix and Mykhaylo Mudryk all an opportunity to start again, after they impressed against Barrow.
Reece James remains the only Chelsea player sidelined with injury at present, after Romeo Lavia returned at the weekend following a six-game absence.
Gent have lost some key players in the transfer market over the summer, with the likes of Julien De Sart, Tarik Tissoudali and Hong Hyun-seok moving on, making the team almost unrecognisable from the one that last travelled to London.
The visitors will also be without the experienced Sven Kums, Andrew Hjulsager is doubtful and new signing Aime Omgba is still yet to make his debut since joining from NAC Breda due to injury.
Andri Gudjohnsen, son of ex-Chelsea striker Eidur Gudjohnsen, could feature here on his father's old stomping ground after netting off the bench in their win over OH Leuven on Sunday.
English striker Max Dean is set to be given the nod up front on his return to his homeland though, having scored in back-to-back starts for the Buffalos.
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Jorgensen; Acheampong, Disasi, Badiashile, Veiga; Lavia, Dewsbury-Hall; Neto, Felix, Mudryk; Nkunku
Gent possible starting lineup:
Roef; Mitrovic, Watanabe, Torunarigha; Fadiga, Ito, Delorge-Kneiper, Brown; Gandelman, Dean, Surdez
We say: Chelsea 3-0 Gent
Home wins over Servette and Barrow with a much-changed side suggests that the heavy rotation expected by Maresca will not have a detrimental effect on the side here.
The players Chelsea can bring in have plenty of European experience, and despite a decent start in Belgium, Gent will struggle to match the firepower of their hosts.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Andrew Delaney
