Enzo Maresca confirms £20m Chelsea player will come into the starting XI vs Panathinaikos

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Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has shared an early piece of team news for Thursday’s European game away to Panathinaikos.

The Blues are now in Athens ahead of tomorrow’s group stage match versus Greek club Panathinaikos in the Conference League.

Enzo Maresca has a 22-man squad to choose from in the midweek fixture, with five first-team Chelsea players left back in England to rest.

Hopefully, the Premier League side can back up a 4-2 victory over Gent in their group opener earlier this month.

• READ MORE: £20m Chelsea player has travelled with the squad to Panathinaikos, he’s only played once so far this season

Enzo Maresca confirms Filip Jorgensen will play vs Panathinaikos

Maresca has shared in his pre-match press conference that Chelsea’s Filip Jorgensen, 22, will come into the starting line-up this week in the Conference League.

When asked if Jorgensen is available to play against Panathinaikos, Maresca said: “Yeah, he’s available and is going to play.”

Jorgensen, the second-choice goalkeeper at Stamford Bridge this season, wasn’t in the matchday squad for the Premier League defeat to Liverpool on Sunday because of suspected concussion.

However, the £20m star (BBC) is back available and will go straight into Chelsea’s starting XI against Panathinaikos.

Filip Jorgensen needs to seize chance

It’s so vital for Jorgensen to impress in these cup performances if he wants to obtain the role as Chelsea’s first-choice goalkeeper.

For now, Robert Sanchez is the main man in-between the sticks. However, the number one Blues keeper is allowing a few individual errors this season to wreck his performances in the Premier League.

The main obstacle for Sanchez, 26, is that he’s slowly becoming a liability with the ball at his feet.

If Jorgensen can do well in Chelsea colours, particularly with playing out from the back, he could quickly become a better fit for Maresca’s best XI this year. It’s still too early for everyone to gauge a real opinion of the youngster because the match against Panathinaikos will be just his fifth Blues appearance since joining in the summer, though.