Tomorrow brings the next round of the UEFA Europa Conference League competition and the slate includes Chelsea FC visiting Astana. Ahead of the trip to Pavlodar, Kazakhstan, Enzo Maresca has plenty of injury and ineligibility concerns to contend with.
Let’s run through them all, and then predict the starters here.
Chelsea FC at Astana FYIs
Competition: Conference League Matchday 5 of 6
Kickoff: Thursday, December 12, 3:30 pm, Ortalyq Stadion
UECL Standing: Astana 23rd, 4 pts Chelsea FC 1st, 12 pts
UECL Form: Astana WLLD Chelsea FC WWWW
Chelsea FC Team News
Ukrainian winger Mykhailo Mudryk (unspecified illness) will face a late fitness test here in order to make the matchday squad. Meanwhile team captain Reece James (relapsed hamstring injury) and Omari Kellyman remain out as long-term injury absentees.
Wesley Fofana and Romeo Lavia are both out injured as well, but could not play even if healthy as they were not named to the UECL squad for this stage.
Cole Palmer, Ben Chilwell and Marcus Bettinelli were not included in the squad either, and are thus ineligible either.
Chelsea FC Starting XI Prediction at Astana
Filip Jorgensen; Josh Acheampong, Axel Disasi, Tosin Adarabioyo, Renato Veiga; Samuel Rak-Sakyi, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall; Tyrique George, Joao Felix, Jadon Sancho; Christopher Nkunku
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
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