Chelsea return to Premier League action today as they prepare to take on Thomas Frank's Brentford side at Stamford Bridge in the evening kick-off.
The Blues beat Astana away from home in the Conference League on Thursday, winning 3-1, thanks to two goals from Marc Guiu and one from Renato Veiga.
Enzo Maresca handed chances to a number of young stars in a heavily rotated side, with the likes of Veiga, Guiu, Sam Rak-Sakyi, and Carney Chukwuemeka all featuring.
The Chelsea head coach should go back to his Premier League regulars for this clash with Brentford, though, and Cole Palmer is, perhaps, the most nailed-on player to come back in.
Cole Palmer's form this season
The England international, who was not included in the Conference League squad, has been in sensational form in the top-flight this term and should start tonight.
Palmer started the last Premier League clash against Tottenham Hotspur last Sunday and scored twice in the 4-3 win, with both of his strikes coming from the penalty spot.
The left-footed wizard has now scored 11 goals, created 11 'big chances', and registered six assists in 15 appearances in the league so far this season for the Blues, which speaks to his importance in the final third.
Cole Palmer for Chelsea
Palmer has the quality to be a match-winner and difference-maker for Chelsea at the top end of the pitch and should come straight back into the starting XI this evening.
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However, it may be as important for Maresca to start another Blues attacker against Brentford, as Jadon Sancho has been in fantastic form of late.
Why starting Jadon Sancho is important for Chelsea
The English magician, whose £25m permanent option price tag was hailed as an "amazing bargain" by Ian Wright, has produced two goals and one assist in his last four matches for Chelsea in all competitions, including a strike against Spurs on Sunday.
Jadon-Sancho-Chelsea
His goal against Tottenham came at a crucial time for the Blues. They were 2-0 down after 11 minutes and Sancho's sensational drive inside from the left and low finish into the bottom corner from distance pulled a goal back and started the comeback for the away side.
The Manchester United loanee's all-round play in the game was also vital for Chelsea because his composure and intelligence on the ball are conducive to high-quality football.
Vs Tottenham Jadon Sancho Cole Palmer
Touches 66 69
Pass accuracy 87% 79%
Passes completed 47 33
Possession lost 10x 16x
Open play shots on target 2 1
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Sancho completed more passes, with a higher success rate, and managed more open play shots on goal than Palmer did, despite the left-footed ace having more touches.
The former Borussia Dortmund star thrives on linking up with teammates and playing the extra pass to create the best possible outcome for his team, which was best illustrated by his excellent pass to release Moises Caciedo in the box, who then won the first penalty that Palmer scored from.
Sancho's decision-making, reliability, and quality in possession on the wing make him an incredibly important part of Maresca's attacking unit, as illustrated by his recent goal contributions and his exceptional performance against Spurs.
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That is why unleashing him from the start against Brentford this evening is as important as bringing Palmer back into the starting line-up is, as they are both crucial to the attack.