Chelsea vs Gento: preview, predictions, lineup
Chelsea begin their Conference League phase campaign at home as Belgian side Gent visit Stamford Bridge.
Coach Enzo Maresca had a difficult start to his tenure in west London, but the Italian side have improved in recent games and go into Thursday’s match having won their last four competitive games.
In their last encounter, the Blues defeated a naive Brighton & Hove Albion side 4-2 thanks to superstar Cole Palmer’s historic four goals.
Chelsea’s Conference League journey began with a narrow defeat of Swiss side Servette in the play-off round. Meanwhile, their next opponents were Vikingur, Silkeborg, and Partizan Belgrade, and they advanced to the league.
Gent have started the season well and are currently in third place in the Belgian Professional League after nine games. A seventh-place finish last season was good enough to advance to the conference league playoffs.
Here’s a 90-minute preview of Thursday’s conference league game.
What time is Chelsea vs Gento kick-off?
Chelsea vs Gent H2H record
This will be the first meeting between Chelsea and Gento.
Current form (all competitions)
How to watch Chelsea vs Gento on TV or live stream
chelsea team news
Palmer, Chelsea’s hero on Saturday, will have the night off as he is not included in Maresca’s league phase squad. As was the case for the Blues’ Carabao Cup clash with Barrow last Tuesday, the manager plans to make significant changes to his starting XI on Thursday.
Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto and Joao Félix will form the hosts’ attacking line-up, while summer signings Renato Veiga and Keenan Dewsbury-Hall are also poised to start.
There are few injury concerns, with only Reece James remaining sidelined.
Expected lineup for Chelsea vs. Gent (4-2-3-1): Jorgensen. Disasi, Tosin, Badiasire, Beiga. Lavia, Dewsbury Hall. Neto, Felix, Mudrik. Nkunkuku.
Ghent team news
It’s been a summer of change for Gent, with the Belgian team’s 2024/25 season markedly different from last season.
Sven Kums continues to nurse a calf injury and will not take part in the trip to west London, while Andrew Hülsager and Eme Onga are doubts for Thursday’s game.
Eidur Gudjohnsen was a cult hero at Stamford Bridge during Jose Mourinho’s first spell at the club, and Andri, the son of the Icelandic great, could feature for the away team.
Gent’s expected lineup against Chelsea (3-4-3): Roof. Mitrović, Watanabe, Tornalija. Fadiga, Ito, Delorge-Kneiper, Brown. Gandelman, Dean, and Sardes.
Chelsea vs Gent score prediction
There is always a certain amount of risk involved in major changes, but Chelsea’s ‘reserves’ squad have at least gotten used to each other at the start of the new season.
The Blues have a high quality squad and that is reflected in the squad Maresca will be able to field on Thursday. Gent should provide a tougher test than Barrow did in the Carabao Cup, but it’s hard to imagine the visitors giving the hosts too much grief.
It was a comfortable home win for Chelsea and should start their Conference League journey.
