Chelsea’s attention will temporarily shift from the Premier League to their European exploits as they look to continue their run in the Conference League on Thursday.
The Blues will travel to Poland to take on Legia Warsaw in the quarter-final first leg, with Enzo Maresca having a number of big decisions to make in terms of his squad selection.
The boss made the decision to rest a number of his big hitters from the start against Brentford in the most recent Premier League game. Maresca defended not starting Cole Palmer despite the Blues lacking creativity until his introduction.
The Conference League this season has been an opportunity for a number of the fringe players at the club to make their mark on the side, with the group stages in particular seeing the likes of Marc Guiu impressing.
The competition has also provided an opportunity for some of the academy graduates to make their debuts for the club. Sam Rak-Sakyi, Kiano Dyer and Ato Ampah have all made appearances throughout the season in Europe.
Shumaira Mheuka could be in Chelsea squad for Conference League quarter-final
One player who seems to be at the front of the manager’s thinking in this regard is 17-year-old striker Shumaira Mheuka. The youngster started the first leg of the Round of 16 tie against Copenhagen amid ongoing injury problems for Nicolas Jackson and Guiu.
Mheuka set a record for being Chelsea’s youngest starter in Europe, and could well be in for a chance to make another appearance in Poland.
After Chelsea U21s took part in the Premier League Cup against Burnley on Monday night, it was notable that the forward was not amongst the names in the squad for the big academy game.
The Blues are about to travel across the continent for the start of the quarter-finals, and it can be expected that Mheuka will be part of the travelling group.
Another Chelsea youngster poised for Warsaw trip
While Mheuka has been the pick of the youngsters in terms of first team impact, another key member of the Under 21s was not in the squad for the 2-0 defeat to Burnley.
Harrison Murray-Campbell is another player who has been given a cameo off the bench in the Conference League this season, and he could be part of the squad who make the trip to Warsaw later this week.
The young centre-back has impressed at Cobham, and could provide a well-needed rest for the likes of Trevoh Chalobah and Tosin Adarabioyo, as they prepare for more minutes between now and the end of the season.
With Wesley Fofana out for the season, the Blues are a defender light, and will collectively need to step up to finish the campaign strong at Stamford Bridge.
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