Enzo Maresca suggests £100k-a-week Chelsea man will play in the Conference League vs Gent

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Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca may have just given away an early piece of team news ahead of the upcoming European tie against Gent.

Chelsea begin the Conference League group stages on Thursday night by hosting Belgian side Gent at Stamford Bridge.

Enzo Maresca has rotated heavily so far this season in the domestic and cup competitions. So, will we see the Blues head coach do the same again tomorrow evening?

Chris Sutton has called it “embarrassing” if Chelsea don’t win the Conference League, but the club would foolish and arrogant to write off the other teams that have qualified for the European competition.

• READ MORE: Chelsea predicted XI vs Gent in Conference League – Enzo Maresca hands 18-year-old his big chance

Enzo Maresca hints at more Mykhailo Mudryk minutes

Maresca appears to suggest that Chelsea’s Mykhailo Mudryk will get the chance to impress in the midweek European fixture.

The 23-year-old left-winger has struggled for starts recently, starting one Premier League game this season. He’s showed flashes of his quality in some cup appearances, though.

When discussing Mudryk during his pre-match press conference for Gent, Maresca said via Chelsea’s YouTube channel: “Hopefully he (Mudryk) can do a good game tomorrow.”

In fairness, we expect Mudryk to come into the starting team against Gent to get some valuable minutes. It’s so important that the £100,000-a-week attacker (Spotrac) makes a positive impact whenever he’s on the pitch.

Mykhailo Mudryk vs Jadon Sancho

It’s emerging as a straight shootout between Mudryk and Jadon Sancho at Chelsea this season for the starting left wing position. As it stands, the Englishman has the edge because he’s forced his way into the league XI.

Here is a look at how Mudryk and Sancho compare so far this campaign at Chelsea:

Even from such a small sample size, Sancho looks far more polished for the Blues than Mudryk ever has. It’s why we expect the Ukraine international to play second fiddle moving forward unless he somehow finds a purple patch of form.