With Cole Palmer out of Chelsea's Conference League squad, the Blues could look like a completely different side against Gent.
Chelsea's recent performances have made football look easy. Enzo Maresca had a questionable start but found the correct formula within a few weeks. It can be argued that they could be in the title race in the Premier League this season.
Chelsea are the predetermined favourite to win the Conference League this season and their draw turned out to be one of the easiest ones too. And the best part is they can bring Cole Palmer back to the squad once the League Phase ends. As long as they qualify ahead, of course.
The Blues from London enter this clash with four wins in a row. Their win streak began with an underwhelming 1-0 over Bournemouth and continued with three crushing performances against West Ham (3-0), Barrow (5-0), and Brighton (4-2).
Gent have been an invariable part of this competition since it was introduced in 2021. The Belgians made it out of the groups on all three previous occasions and have proven that they can be a problem even for the bigger clubs.
How the bookies view it: You already knew it
Bookmakers envision a routine win for the Blues and Betano gave them just 7/25 to win on Thursday. Betting on the underdogs can be tempting with the 9/1 odds but even a 44/9 draw seems unlikely when there is such a gap in class.
Recent head to head: Time to break the silence
Chelsea have never faced Gent in an official setting before, so this will be their first H2H. But the Buffalos already have experience against London clubs, having met Tottenham and West Ham in previous editions. So far, the Belgian team has just one win against clubs from the English capital.
Players to watch: Sancho's rebirth continues
Once considered one of the brightest talents on the planet, we finally get to see the Sancho everyone talked about five years ago when he was wreaking havoc in the Bundesliga. He is yet to score for Chelsea but provided an assist in each of his three appearances for the Blues.
It remains to be seen if Enzo Maresca will rest him and play Mudryk instead, but we believe this is a great opportunity to build his confidence with a goal against an easier opponent.
Probable line-ups
Chelsea: Jorgensen, Acheampong, Disasi, Badiashile, Renato Veiga, Dewsbury-Hall, Lavia, Neto, Felix, Sancho, Nkunku
Gent: Roef, Mitrovic, Torunarigha, Watanabe, Ito, Fadiga, Delorge-Kneiper, Brown, Dean, Surdez, Gandelman
Anything else catch the eye?
The whole world was making fun of Chelsea for the extraordinary number of signings during the summer transfer window. Yet, Enzo Maresca proved that squad depth is the key to success when you have ball knowledge.
Even without the likes of Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson, and Noni Madueke, Chelsea should beat Gent comfortably. The probability of witnessing an away goal also seems rather low, so the “BTTS – No” market holds some hidden value too. Overall, this should be a routine win for the Blues and we expect a clean scoreline between 2-0/3-0.
This UEFA Europa League Conference match between Chelsea and Gent will be played on Oct 3, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Chelsea vs Gent prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
