Chelsea team news vs Panathinaikos: James, Caicedo & Jackson out as goalkeeper returns
Enzo Maresca has provided the latest fitness news ahead of Chelsea’s Conference League match against Panathinaikos.
Chelsea make the trip to Greece on Thursday night hoping to make it two wins from two after beating KAA Gent in matchday one.
Marc Cucurella and Wesley Fofana were both suspended for the Premier League defeat to Liverpool on Sunday, with Cucurella now eligible for selection again.
Fofana, though, is ineligible, alongside Romeo Lavia and Cole Palmer, after Maresca opted to leave the trio out of the League Phase squad in an attempt to manage their fitness and minutes.
Mykhailo Mudryk was involved in training ahead of the European clash after being left out of the Liverpool defeat.
Filip Jorgensen, who is Chelsea’s preferred goalkeeper for the cup competitions, was ruled out of Sunday’s game due to the club following the FA’s concussion protocols, however looks set to make his return to action on Thursday.
Chelsea's 22-man travelling squad was revealed as the Blues have taken youngsters Samuel Rak-Sakyi, Shumaira Mheuka and Tyrique George. However, Josh Acheampong has not travelled amid reports over his Chelsea future.
Reece James, Moises Caicedo, Malo Gusto and Nicolas Jackson have also been left home as Maresca looks to manage his squad's minutes ahead of their clash against Newcastle on Sunday.
Speaking ahead of the fixture, Maresca confirmed the Chelsea team news for the clash in the Greek capital.
Beginning on the availability of Jorgensen, Maresca revealed: "He's available and is going to play."
Maresca went on to explain the reasoning behind leaving the likes of Jackson, James, Caicedo and Gusto at home: "I said many times. We are protecting players from injury and different reasons."
While Mudryk will be hopeful of getting his chance to impress on Thursday, Maresca revealed the reasoning for him not making the squad against Liverpool and hinted at his involvement on Thursday: "It was a technical decision. He's here with us and available for tomorrow."
The Blues are travelling with no recognised right-back option, although Axel Disasi has been used there in recent times. 18-year-old Acheampong could have been an option for Maresca, who has opened up on his reasoning behind leaving the youngster home.
"To be honest, I feel a bit shame for Josh because I think this kind of games could be an opportunity for him," he said. "I had a chat with him personally about three weeks ago about his (contract) situation. The chat was very good, positive.
"From that moment I haven't spoken with him again. It's a shame because I really think that Josh, potentially can be a top player. He's still 18, very young. Many things can change for him but in terms of his future he can be very important for Chelsea. It's so important for the club, our intention is to not lose him.
"The first thing we need to do is find a solution for his future. He needs to get minutes, enjoy and play football. It's a bad situation in this moment for him. I don't know if the people that try and solve this problem are helping him or not. I really like Josh and I'd like to have him here with us but it is not possible."
However, the manager is keen to hand opportunities to other youngsters as he spoke about the potential of Rak-Sakyi, George and Mheuka.
"They have been with us already for different sessions. Sam (Rak-Sakyi) is a good profile midfielder. He can play holding and between the lines. Shimmy (Shumaira Mheuka), we use him as a striker and as a winger.
"They are good profiles, young ones. Will be a good experience for them to stay with us. We have Tyrique (George), who is doing well for us. He's like Josh (Acheampong), we can hopefully keep him with us and he can get some chances to grow with experience."
