CHELSEA will begin their Uefa Conference League campaign at the start of October.
Enzo Maresca’s men will compete in the competition’s first-ever league phase, with the Blues playing six matches, three at home and the rest away.
Chelsea kick off their Conference League campaign by hosting Gent at Stamford Bridge in four weeks time.
Shamrock Rovers and FC Noah are the Blues’ remaining home fixtures, with trips to Heidenheim, FC Astana and Panathinaikos completing the fixture list.
But three key players have been left out of Chelsea’s league phase squad…
Why is Cole Palmer not in Chelsea’s Conference League squad?
Enzo Maresca has named his 27-man squad for the Conference League league phase.
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The list does not include Wesley Fofana, Romeo Lavia and starman Cole Palmer.
The decision not to include the trio was due to load management, as Chelsea will compete in five competitions potentially until July 2025
Should the Blues progress to the knockout stage, the London club will be able to add three players to their list, but they must replace existing members of the squad.
This could see the likes of Fofana, Lavia and Palmer registered if Maresca felt he needed to bolster his options as the Conference League hits the business end.
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Who is in Chelsea’s initial Conference League squad?
Here is Chelsea’s initial 27-man for the Conference League:
Goalkeepers: Sanchez, Jorgensen, Bergstrom
Defenders: Disasi, Cucurella, Adarabioyo, Badiashile, Colwill, James, Gusto, Acheampong, Veiga
Midfielders: Fernandez, Madueke, Chukwuemeka, Nkunku, Sancho, Dewsbury-Hall, Caicedo, Casadei, George, Dyer
Forwards: Neto, Mudryk, Felix, Jackson, Guiu
Chelsea’s Conference League league phase fixtures
Here are all six of Chelsea’s league phase fixtures:
Thursday, October 3
Chelsea vs Gent
Kick-off: 8pm
Thursday, October 24
Panathinaikos vs Chelsea
Kick-off: 5.45pm
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Thursday, November 7
Chelsea vs FC Noah
Kick-off: 8pm
Thursday, November 28
Heidenheim vs Chelsea
Kick-off: 5.45pm
Thursday, December 12
FC Astana vs Chelsea
Kick-off: 3.30pm
Thursday, December 19
Chelsea vs Shamrock Rovers
Kick-off: 8pm
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
