Chelsea begin their journey in the UEFA Conference League on Thursday night, and there’s certain individuals that must come into the starting line-up.
The Blues have got to come through a two-legged play-off tie against Swiss club Servette in order to reach the Conference League group stages.
Enzo Maresca’s side host Servette at Stamford Bridge in the first leg on Thursday night before the second leg seven days later. Incidentally, there’s a Premier League trip away to Wolverhampton Wanderers sandwiched in-between at the weekend.
Jose Mourinho previously hailed the Conference League competition, so it’s one Chelsea should take seriously. Of course, they’d much rather be competing in Europe’s elite tournament, the Champions League.
Here is a look at three Chelsea players that should definitely come into the starting XI against Servette…
Noni Madueke
Chelsea winger Noni Madueke, 22, should be one of the first names that pops into Maresca’s head when selecting his team versus Servette.
Remarkably, the English attacker was an unused substitute in Sunday’s 2-0 league defeat at home to Manchester City. He was fantastic in pre-season this summer, scoring three goals and catching the eye, but he was still overlooked in the opening fixture.
Madueke should be angry after his Premier League snub, but the head coach could make it up to him with a start tomorrow night.
The right-winger looked fit and fired up for the new campaign, so unleashing him on Servette is a no-brainer.
Filip Jorgensen
Next, summer signing Filip Jorgensen should be handed his competitive debut for Chelsea on Thursday.
The 22-year-old goalkeeper was left on the bench against Man City at the weekend, but it feels like it may only be a matter of time before he overtakes Robert Sanchez to become the first choice in-between the sticks.
Jorgensen, signed from Villarreal for £20.7m (BBC), must get his Chelsea debut in the play-off tie with Servette. It feels like a nice way to blood the young keeper into the XI, with a view to making him the long-term number one.
Pedro Neto
Finally, it would be great to see Pedro Neto get his first Chelsea start since joining from Wolverhampton Wanderers this month in a £54m deal (BBC).
The 24-year-old winger got his first minutes for the Blues with a substitute performance on Sunday against Man City. Interestingly, Chelsea fans agreed Neto will become a starter for them after watching his lively debut.
While the Portuguese star is likely to have one eye on the league fixture against his former club on Sunday, the first leg with Servette feels like a great opportunity to help him adapt more to his new team. Neto did have a pre-season this summer with Wolves, but he’ll still be learning about Chelsea’s tactics and style of play.
It would be great to see the Blues have the dynamic pair of Neto and Madueke in wide areas on Thursday.
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