On Thursday, the English football team Chelsea will travel to Athens to play Panathinaikos in the UEFA Conference League.

On October 3, London’s Chelsea defeated their Belgian rivals Gent 4-2 at Stamford Bridge to get off to a strong start in the third-tier Conference League.

Favorite titles In the league stage of the Conference League, Chelsea will continue to compete without its English sensation Cole Palmer.

Due to a severe workload, Palmer, a 22-year-old attacking midfielder for England, was left out of Chelsea’s third-tier Conference League league phase squad.

“It’s very clear — we try to protect the players,” Enzo Maresca, the manager of Chelsea, once stated.

“Cole is essentially the same in that he had a really busy season, playing a lot of games and traveling from Manchester City, and he didn’t join us for preseason since he ended late (due to EURO 2024).

“We are trying to protect the players (from injuries) and give them the right minutes at the right moment,” the Italian manager, 44, continued.

In order to play more in the English Premier League, Palmer, Romeo Lavia, a Belgian midfielder for Chelsea, and Wesley Fofana, a French defender, are also ineligible.

Romeo had trouble playing last year because of an injury. Wes Fofana was the same way. They won’t participate in the Conference League, but they are considering playing in the Premier League. We make an effort to keep them safe,” Maresca stated.

On the first day of the Conference League, Panathinaikos was held to a 1-1 draw by Borac Banja Luka of Bosnia.

At 1645 GMT, the Panathinaikos vs. Chelsea game at the Olympic Athletic Center of Athens will begin.