Chelsea have given debuts to two new signings as the Premier League side bid to qualify for the 2024-25 Uefa Europa Conference League against Servette.
Danish goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen, who arrived from Villarreal for £20.7 million in July, will be entrusted with keeping a clean sheet which could go a long way towards helping his new club win their tie against their Swiss opponents.
Defender Tosin Adarabioyo will also make his first competitive appearance since joining on a free transfer in June following the expiry of the 26-year-old’s Fulham deal.
Four players will make their full debuts for the hosts in the first leg of the play-off to reach the group stage proper of Europe’s tertiary club competition.
Your Chelsea side tonight! 👊#CFC | #UECL pic.twitter.com/F3Xh8R37NO
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 22, 2024
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Chelsea team news vs Servette
Pedro Neto joined Chelsea from Wolves for £54m on August 11, making an encouraging debut in their 2-0 home defeat to Manchester City on Sunday.
On the back of his first Premier League appearance for the club, the winger has been given his first start against the Swiss Super League visitors.
Forward Marc Guiu, signed for £5m from Barcelona, also starts for the first time, as do Renato Veiga – familiar with Servette from his time with Swiss former club Basel – and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, a £30m newcomer from Leicester City.
Manager Enzo Maresca named 10 substitutes from the 12 available to him, with the likes of Enzo Fernandez, Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke among them.
Seven. #CFC | #UECL pic.twitter.com/ewTz10pOrq
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 22, 2024
Chelsea line-up vs Servette
Chelsea starting XI (4-3-3): Jorgensen; Disasi, Tosin, Badiashile, Veiga; Dewsbury-Hall, Caicedo, Nkunku; Neto, Guiu, Mudryk
Unsurprisingly, there is still no place for former England forward Raheem Sterling in Maresca’s matchday squad for his first match as a manager in Europe.
Sterling issued a statement through his representatives requesting “clarity” on his future shortly after being left out entirely against City.
One of Chelsea’s top earners, Sterling is one of 21 squad members who Maresca has said are separate from his 21 first-choice players.
Forward Joao Felix, who joined on Tuesday for £46.3m from Atletico Madrid in a deal sending Conor Gallagher to the Spanish club, will also not feature against Servette.
The Blues are attempting to qualify for European competition proper for the first time since participating in the Champions League two seasons ago.
