Yahoo Sports Chelsea vs Gent – Match preview and team news
Chelsea begin their maiden Europa Conference League campaign by welcoming Belgian outfit Gent to Stamford Bridge.
Unlike the Champions League and Europa League, this competition’s league phase only consists of six matches.
Enzo Maresca has almost a clean bill of health, with club captain Reece James the only injured member of the senior squad.
After his four-goal haul against Brighton on the weekend, Cole Palmer will be unavailable for selection against Gent, after Chelsea opted to omit the Englishman from their 25-player squad for the league phase. Wesley Fofana and Romeo Lavia are also not in the squad for this competition.
Gent have a pair of Englishmen in their ranks, with 20-year-old Max Dean leading the line after signing for the club from Milton Keynes Dons in the summer and England u-20 international Archie Brown at left-wing-back. Andrij Gudjohnsen, son of ex-Chelsea forward Eidur, could also feature for Gent.
Chelsea vs Gent – Match preview and team news
Form
Chelsea: DWWWW
The Enzo Maresca era at Chelsea has started full of promise and excitement with the Blues unbeaten in their last five outings.
Saturday’s 4-2 triumph over Brighton epitomised everything that the Italian has instilled into his players during his short time in the dugout, with the West Londoners playing with freedom.
Good vibes on MD-1. 😎 pic.twitter.com/aQemkXxmHC
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) October 2, 2024
Victories against Bournemouth and West Ham preceded their 5-0 thrashing of League Two side Barrow in the Carabao Cup, where Christopher Nkunku bagged a stylish hat-trick.
They booked their place in this competition by narrowly beating Swiss side Servette 3-2 on aggregate in qualifying.
Gent: DWWLW
Gent currently occupy third place in the first division of Belgian football, as they trail Royal Antwerp and Genk.
They will relish this trip to England and are full of confidence after a comprehensive 3-0 victory over OH Leuven at the weekend.
Wouter Vrancken and his players beat Vikingur of the Faroe Islands, Danish team Silkeborg and finally FK Partizan in qualifying to ensure their place in the competition.
Andri Guðjohnsen scored the winning goal on his Jupiler Pro League debut today.
15 goals for Lyngby last season.
22 years of age.
Signed by Gent for 2,9M€.
Excellent transfer. 🇮🇸 pic.twitter.com/DLewjYcUqM
— Football Talent Scout – Jacek Kulig (@FTalentScout) July 28, 2024
The Buffalos were knocked out of the Conference League at the Round of 16 stage last season, as Maccabi Haifa beat them 2-1 on aggregate.
Last Meeting: N/A
This will be the first time the two sides play each other.
Predicted Lineups
Chelsea: Jorgensen, Acheampong, Disasi, Badiashile, Veiga; Casadei, Dewsbury-Hall, Neto, Felix, Mudryk, Nkunku.
Gent: Roef; Mitrovic, Watanabe, Torunarigha; Fadiga, Ito, Delorge-Kneiper, Brown; Gandelman, Dean, Surdez.
Who is the referee?
German referee Daniel Schlager is the match official. He will be assisted by Rafael Foltyn and Sven Waschitzki. The VAR is Soren Storks and he will be assisted by Patrick Hanslbauer.
What channel is Chelsea vs Gent on?
Chelsea vs Gent will be available to watch on TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports Ultimate and Discovery+.
What time is kick-off?
Kick-off at Stamford Bridge will be at 20:00 BST on Thursday 3rd October 2024.
Odds
Chelsea – 1/4
Draw – 9/2
Gent – 9/1
Read – Five things we learned from the Champions League action
See more – Champions League awards: Duran’s dipper and Turkish delight
