Marc Cucurella starts tonight as Chelsea host Shamrock Rovers in the Conference League.
The Spaniard would not normally be involved in this competition, but gets a runout against high-flying Irish opposition in their final game of the league phase as he is suspended for Sunday’s Premier League trip to Chelsea.
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Mykhailo Mudryk will play no part for the Blues tonight however after testing positive for a banned substance.
The Ukrainian insists he has never knowingly taken any banned substance and vowed to prove his innocence, but the winger has been provisionally suspended from football while awaiting the results of a ‘B’ sample after an “adverse finding in a routine urine test”.
Mudryk has been a regular in the Conference League this season, starting each of the first four group matches before missing last week’s trip to Astana.
Chelsea have already qualified for the last 16 having won all five of their group matches so far and manager Enzo Maresca rotates heavily for the visit of the Irish side ahead of Sunday’s trip to Goodison Park.
Youngster Josh Acheampong gets another opportunity to impress at right-back after finally putting pen to paper on a new long-term contract on Wednesday, while fellow academy graduate Tyrique George also starts.
Cesare Casadei is available again and starts in midfield after serving a one-match suspension against Astana, while Axel Disasi captains the team from centre-back and Noni Madueke starts in attack along with Christopher Nkunku and Marc Guiu.
Chelsea XI: Jorgensen, Acheampong, Disasi, Veiga, Cucurella, Casadei, Dewsbury-Hall, Madueke, Nkunku, George, Guiu
Subs: Sanchez, Bergstrom, Tosin, Murray-Campbell, Dyer, Rak-Sakyi, Vale, Sancho, Neto, Joao Felix, Mheuka
Injured: James, Fofana, Badiashile
Suspended: Mudryk
Time and date: 8pm GMT on Thursday December 19, 2024
Venue: Stamford Bridge
TV channel: TNT Sports
