Chelsea have previously won four different UEFA trophies, all twice, namely the Champions League, Europa League, Cup Winners' Cup and Super Cup, so will they now add the UEFA Conference League to their roll of honours, overwhelming favourites to feature in the final at Stadion Wrocław on 28 May?
Chelsea vs Gent Preview
Will Chelsea's winning streak continue? On Saturday, the Blues beat Brighton 4-2 at Stamford Bridge in, what turned out to be, the Cole Palmer show, as he became the first player in Premier League history to score four in the first half of a match.
As a result, Enzo Maresca's side are unbeaten since the opening day, winning four of their last five, thereby sat fourth in the table. Should the Blues go the distance in all five competitions they'll enter this season, with the newly-expanded FIFA Club World Cup to come next June and July, Chelsea could play a mind-boggling 74 matches this season, up to 17 of which would come from the Conference League.
Already in this tournament, the Blues had to overcome Servette in August's play-off round, prevailing 2-0 at home before a nervous 2-1 defeat in Geneva saw them, just about, progress. Now, in the newly-revamped league phase, Chelsea will take on Panathinaikos, FC Noah, Heidenheim, Astana and then Shamrock Rovers after this, so should face little difficulty not only finishing in the top eight, but probably ending up first outright.
So what about Gent, are they capable of springing a big surprise? De Buffalo's actually finished seventh in last season's Jupiler Pro League, sneaking into Europe by overcoming Genk in a post-season play-off, before defeating Víkingur Gøta, Silkeborg and then Partizan Belgrade in qualifiers during the summer.
Thus, this'll be Gent's ninth appearance in a UEFA group stage, all coming since 2010, and their fourth successive campaign in the Conference League, most-notably reaching the quarter-finals two seasons ago, dumped out by eventual winners West Ham. Domestically, led by new head coach Wouter Vrancken, Gent are currently third in the Belgian top-flight, easily beating Oud-Heverlee Leuven 3-0 on Sunday, but this is not a top-quality outfit, and a team Chelsea should swat aside rather easily.
Chelsea vs Gent Head-to-Head Record
These two clubs have never previously met.
Chelsea Form Guide: WWWWD
- Chelsea 4-2 Brighton & Hove Albion
- Chelsea 5-0 Barrow
- West Ham United United 0-3 Chelsea
- Bournemouth 0-1 Chelsea
- Chelsea 1-1 Crystal Palace
Gent Form Guide: WLWWL
- Gent 3-0 Oud-Heverlee Leuven
- Cercle Brugge 2-1 Gent
- Club Brugge 2-4 Gent
- Gent 2-0 Mechelen
- Gent 0-3 Royal Sporting Charleroi
Chelsea Team News
Enzo Maresca will make wholesale changes for this one, naming a similar side to the team that smashed Barrow 5-0 in the EFL Cup last mid-week. For starters, Cole Palmer has not been included in Chelsea's UEFA squad, this can be amended ahead of the knockout stage, so he will not feature in the league phase, as his minutes are managed. Christopher Nkunku though will be in the starting XI, having scored home and away against Servette in the play-off round, also bagging a hat-trick in the Carabao Cup. Reece James is currently the only first team player out injured.
Chelsea predicted lineup vs Gent: (4-2-3-1): Jörgensen; Disasi, Adarabioyo, Badiashile, Veiga; Lavia, Dewsbury-Hall, Neto, João Félix, Mudryk; Nkunku.
Chelsea Player to Watch vs Gent
Since returning to the club, João Félix has struggled to nail down a starting spot, due to the sheer number of attacking players in this squad, but this will be another chance for him to stake a claim.
Gent Team News
In complete contrast to their hosts, this is a big deal for Gent, so Wouter Vrancken will name his strongest available side. Midfielders Sven Kums, Omri Gandelman, Aimé Omgba and Andrew Hjulsager are all sidelined, but Englishman Max Dean, who's already scored five goals since arriving from Milton Keynes in the summer, will lead the attack.
Gent predicted lineup vs Chelsea: (3-4-2-1): Roef; Gambor, Mitrović, Watanabe; Fadiga, Delorge, Ito, Brown; Vancsa, Guðjohnsen, Dean.
Gent Player to Watch vs Chelsea
Having scored off the bench on Sunday, Andri Guðjohnsen could come into the starting XI; his dad Eiður represented Chelsea 263 times, scoring 78 goals, between 2000 and 2006.
Chelsea vs Gent Prediction
A very comfortable Chelsea victory seems likely; while we're not expected the Blues to recreate the five-goal haul they managed against Barrow, Gent are certainly stronger than a League Two side, we're forecasting a routine win and a clean sheet for the home side: Chelsea 2-0 Gent.
Chelsea vs Gent FAQs - Conference League
How to watch Chelsea vs Gent Conference League game on TV channel?
Chelsea vs Gent Conference League game will be available on the following TV channels;
- UK: TNT Sports 1 & TNT Sports Ultimate.
- USA: Paramount+
- Canada: DAZN Canada
How to watch Chelsea vs Gent Conference League game on live streaming?
Chelsea vs Gent Conference League game will be available on the following streaming services;
- UK: Discovery+
- USA: Paramount+
- Canada: DAZN Canada
What is the date and kick-off time for Chelsea vs Gent in the Conference League?
Chelsea vs Gent takes place on Thursday 3 October 2024, with kick off at 20:00 (BST), 15:00 (ET) & 12:00 (PDT).