Predicted Chelsea lineup vs FC Noah - Conference League
Chelsea are looking to continue their winning start in the Conference League when they face FC Noah on Thursday night at Stamford Bridge.
Enzo Maresca's side have won their first two matches in the League Phase after scoring four against both KAA Gent and Panathinaikos to put them top of the competition and on course to qualify for the last-16 automatically.
Chelsea welcome Noah to the English capital, with the Armenian side heavy underdogs heading into the European fixture. However, Maresca believes they will provide a 'tricky' test for the Blues.
"I heard (of them) before the game," Maresca admitted regarding his assessment of Noah. "In the last two or three days, we have watched different games from them and I said many times, in the Conference League it is a bit tricky because everyone against us wants the game. We need to be ready tactically but also mentally."
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Maresca will respect Chelsea's opponents despite the Blues being expected to thump the side who were founded in 2017. They will make wholesale changes in similar fashion to their first two matches in the competition.
Jadon Sancho is the only eligible player not available for Chelsea due to illness and a minor injury setback. Filip Jorgensen, Enzo Fernandez, Marc Cucurella, Mykhailo Mudryk, Joao Felix and Christopher Nkunku are all expected to return.
Youngsters Tyrique George, Shim Mheuka, Samuel Rak-Sakyi, Zain Silcott-Duberry and Ato Ampah were all involved in Wednesday's training session at Cobham, with Maresca confirming there could be a chance some academy stars could be involved.
Quartet Wesley Fofana, Ben Chilwell, Romeo Lavia and Cole Palmer are all unavailable due to not being registered yet for the Conference League.
Predicted Chelsea XI to face Panathinaikos
Jorgensen, Veiga, Disasi, Badiashile, Cucurella, Fernandez, Dewsbury-Hall, Mudryk, Felix, George, Nkunku
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