£20m star dropped as Enzo Maresca makes nine changes to his predicted Chelsea team against Panathinaikos

Chelsea will be hoping to make it two wins from their first two Europa Conference League games when they take on Greek side Panathinaikos. The Blues beat Gent 4-2 at home, and another win away would be the perfect way to strengthen their quest to reach the knockout stages of the competition.

Their hosts, Panathinaikos, drew 1-1 with Bosnian outfit Borac Banja Luka, so they are also desperate to get their campaign going in what should be a really interesting game.

With so much at stake and some players like Reece James, Romeo Lavia, and Cole Palmer left at home, here is the predicted team for the Blues:

Goalkeeper and Defenders

Filip Jorgensen is the number one for the cup game, and having missed the match against Liverpool, he is now set to come back into the side. The defence is where it gets tricky for the manager, as he looks to give minutes to players who have played a lot this season. So, Axel Disasi is likely to come in, along with Tosin Aderabioyo, Badiashile, and the invaluable utility option Renato Veiga. The absence of Josh Acheampong has sparked much debate, but this was a decision the manager has said he was considering for giving him minutes.

Midfield

The cup midfielders have been waiting for their opportunity, and they will have circled this game as the one they were hoping to get minutes in—so expect to see Cesare Casadei, Dewsbury-Hall, who arrived from Leicester, and the skilful Joao Felix. Felix, in particular, will be looking to impress, as he was completely overlooked for the game against Liverpool at the weekend.

Forwards

There is keen competition in this area as well, with Pedro Neto likely to start on the right, while Mykhailo Mudryk and Christopher Nkunku will take up the interchanging left and middle positions.

Predicted Team:

Jorgensen; Disasi, Tosin, Badiashile, Veiga; Casadei, Dewsbury-Hall; Neto, Felix, Mudryk; Nkunku.