Chelsea hosts Armenian side FC Noah in the UEFA Conference League aiming to snap a two-game losing streak that saw them exit the Carabao Cup and drop points in the league against Manchester United.
The Blues have comfortably won its first two matches of the league phase and currently sit atop the Conference League standings. The dominance should continue for a team whose squad is far superior than its opposition in this third tier European competition.
Enzo Maresca has made it a habit to fully rotate his squad for Conference League fixtures. The team A and team B concept is beginning to raise questions from fans and pundits alike because of the poor results and drop in form last week. However, Maresca insists there's no such thing as two separate teams, although it does seem likely that the majority of the players who started against Manchester United over the weekend won't do so again against Noah.
Aside from not being registered to play in the league phase, Cole Palmer picked up a knock and his status is still up in the air for Sunday's Premier League game against Arsenal. Maresca confirmed that Jadon Sancho won't be available as well and will miss his fourth consecutive game for the Blues. Despite the absences, Chelsea has more than enough depth to get back to winning ways on Thursday night.
JOIN SI SOCCER'S CHELSEA WHATSAPP COMMUNITY - GET ALL THE LATEST NEWS AND ANALYSIS STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE
Chelsea Predicted Lineup vs. FC Noah (4-2-3-1)
GK: Filip Jörgensen—Yet another Robert Sánchez mistake led to a goal in the Premier League; however, Maresca remains adamant that there won't be a goalkeeper change in the EPL, meaning Jörgensen will continue to get his playing time in Conference League games.
RB: Axel Disasi—Disasi had a night to forget at St. James' Park, scoring an own goal that all but sealed Chelsea's exit from the Carabao Cup. He'll aim to bounce back against Noah.
CB: Tosin Adarabioyo—One of the most experienced figures in Chelsea's locker room. The 27-year-old should return to the XI after missing the game against Panathinaikos.
CB: Benoît Badiashile—Fabrizio Romano reported that Chelsea has no plans to sell Badiashile after speculation about his future arose. Yet, he's only played 37 minutes in the league this year, so a good showing could go a long way in helping him increase that number.
LB: Marc Cucurella—Cucurella has fallen in the depth chart despite a positive start to the season. He was suspended for Chelsea's game vs. Liverpool and never returned to the XI in the league after that. The Spaniard should remain a regular in the Conference League in the meantime.
CM: Renato Veiga—Veiga has played every position in defense and in the base of the midfield since his arrival to Chelsea in the summer.
CM: Enzo Fernández—The $100 million man's role continues to be reduced under Maresca. Moisés Caicedo and Romeo Lavia have been the preferred midfield pairing in the league, relegating the 2022 World Cup champion to get the bulk of his minutes in the Conference League.
RW: Kieran Dewsbury-Hall—It was surprising to see the former Leicester City player occupy the right-wing in Chelsea's Carabao Cup game vs. Newcastle. Given the absence of Sancho, Dewsbury-Hall could be poised to re-appear in that role.
AM: João Félix—Félix scored a brace Chelsea's last time out in Europe. The silky smooth Portuguese was one of the lone bright spots of the Cup game against the Magpies.
LW: Mykhaylo Mudryk—A goal and a couple of assists highlighted one of the Ukrainian's best performances for the Blues in the team's last Conference League game. He'll look to keep up his recent uptick in form.
READ THE LATEST CHELSEA NEWS, PREVIEWS, PREDICTIONS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND MORE
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Chelsea Predicted Lineup vs. FC Noah: UEFA Conference League.
