Chelsea drop 5 key players after defeat to Liverpool for tricky European test

• Chelsea have dropped five key players from their squad that will play Panathinaikos in the Conference League
• The Blues have opted to rest Reece James, among others, who only returned to competitive action on Sunday
• Chelsea suffered a blip to their good start to the season after going 2-1 down to Liverpool at Anfield

Chelsea's head coach, Enzo Maresca, made some interesting changes to the squad that travelled to Greece for their UEFA Conference League tie.

The Blues have made the long 30-hour-plus journey to Athens to play Panathinaikos on the second matchday of the competition.

Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca addresses the media on October 23, 2024. Photo by Dimitris Kapantais.
Source: Getty Images

The game comes at a time when the West Londoners are winless in two of their last games. They were held to a one-all draw by Nottingham Forest before Liverpool beat them 2-1 at Anfield after the international break.

Maresca will be looking to make it two out of two wins in Chelsea's maiden appearance at the competition. The Italian has already masterminded the 4-2 win over Belgian side Gent.

Chelsea drop key players

However, he will have to do so with a 'fringe' squad after he elected to leave a couple of his big names at home.

As captured on the club's website, captain Reece James, lead striker Nicolas Jackson, midfield lynchpin Moises Caicedo and defensive duo Levi Colwill and Malo Gusto have all been dropped.

The players join Cole Palmer, Romeo Lavia, and Wesley Fofana, who were omitted from the squad that will play in the league phase.

Chelsea's next fixtures

The decision comes at a time when Chelsea have a tricky set of fixtures on the horizon. Maresca has been vocal about giving his players, especially the injury-prone ones like James, Fofana and Lavia, enough rest.

After the Greece trip, they have back-to-back games against Newcastle in the league and Carabao Cup before travelling to Old Trafford to play Manchester United.

They will then entertain Arsenal in a London derby before the November international break.

Chelsea kick highly-rated defender from training

Legit.ng had earlier reported that Chelsea had kicked out defender Josh Acheampong from training.

The right-back has been isolated from first-team and development squad training as disputes over his contract continue.

His current contract expires in 2026, but the club wants him to sign a new one or be sold.

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Source: TUKO.co.ke