Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has been prioritising the Premier League over the Europa Conference League this season and could do it again on Thursday when his side face Djurgarden at 8pm (UK time).
Chelsea predicted lineup vs Djurgarden
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Jorgensen; Acheampong, Adarabioyo, Badiashile, Cucurella; Fernández, Dewsbury-Hall; Sancho, Nkunku, George; Jackson.
Chelsea have been gliding past the Europa Conference League this season, doing so almost exclusively with alternative lineups and back-up players. The Blues’ main goalscorers in Europe are Marc Guiu, Christopher Nkunku, Joao Felix, Mykhaylo Mudryk and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall – none of whom are starters.
Even in the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League, the expectation is that Maresca repeats the strategy this Thursday when facing Djurgarden in Sweden.
Chelsea team news vs Djurgarden
Maresca is likely to rotate his team for Chelsea’s upcoming match against Djurgarden – but not due to injuries (mostly, at least). Wesley Fofana remains sidelined for the foreseeable future — though he isn’t included in the Europa Conference League squad — and Guiu, the club’s top scorer in the Conference League with six goals, is expected to be out for the next game.
Malo Gusto, on the other hand, could return after being absent in the win over Everton following an injury against Fulham. Marc Cucurella could find himself as a starter for a lack of options in the position and the same could apply to Enzo Fernandez (or another midfielder).
Still, with most of the players at his disposal, Maresca could mix things up again, as he’s been doing in Europe all season. Chelsea currently find themselves in a close fight for an automatic Champions League spot for next season. Only five points separate third-placed Newcastle United (62) from seventh-placed Aston Villa (57), with Chelsea sitting in fifth with 60.
The Blues have won their last two in the Premier League and face — a possibly ‘hungover’ — Liverpool next at Stamford Bridge. A third league win in a row could provide a much needed boost to finish the season in style. That could be the priority over using the main players against a lesser opponent in Djurgarden, who are currently 11th in the Swedish league after five matches.
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Extra incentive to rest?
Djurgarden play their home games in artificial turf – a common approach for Scandinavian sides due to weather and climate. Chelsea, on the other hand, have a stacked yet somewhat fragile squad, with different players battling recurrent injuries.
In addition, the main players — who have already not been involved much in the Conference League so far — could be rested in order to avoid any freak accidents that could hamper Chelsea’s end to the Premier League campaign.
It remains to be seen if specifically injury-prone athletes such as Reece James and Romeo Lavia will be rested or benched, but that should be the theme for most of Maresca’s starters anyway.