Chelsea vs Gent Preview: Historic match for resurgent Blues
Back to European football after a season-long absence, Chelsea embark on their first-ever Europa Conference League campaign on Thursday against Gent.
Stamford Bridge forms the backdrop for what promises to be a historic night, and it’s one of the highlights of football on TV in UK this week, with the Blues entering this clash in high spirits.
Confidence is sky-high in West London after Cole Palmer’s unprecedented first-half quadruple guided Enzo Maresca’s resurgent side to a 4-2 win against Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend.
While Palmer grabbed the headlines, Nicolas Jackson missed a few sitters again. But that didn’t discourage Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink from backing him to become a ‘£150 million player,’ via the Daily Mail.
Europe’s third-tier competition doesn’t have the same glitter as the Champions League, and it wouldn’t be surprising if Maresca leaves Jackson and other regular first-team stars on the bench.
Legit team
After two years of suffering, the Blues look destined to return to prominence under Maresca.
The abovementioned win against Brighton saw Chelsea end round six in fourth, only two points adrift of early Premier League pacesetters Liverpool.
Maresca has plenty of options within his bloated roster, meaning the West London outfit can hardly field an understrength line-up as they seek their fifth consecutive win in all competitions.
With the last three coming by at least a two-goal margin, fans in attendance can expect another dominant performance against a decent-performing Gent side.
Visitors deserve the benefit of the doubt
Gent eased past domestic minnows OH Leuven 3-0 on Sunday to make it three wins across their last four competitive outings, setting themselves up nicely for this encounter.
Unlike Chelsea, the Belgians are all too familiar with this competition as they’ve contested the former group stage of the Europa Conference League in the last three seasons.
They’ve also fared reasonably well, progressing into the knockout phase each time, suggesting this may not be a walk in the park for Chelsea as it may appear at first glance.