Chelsea will look to complete a perfect league phase campaign in the Conference League when they welcome Shamrock Rovers to Stamford Bridge on Thursday.
This fixture pits together two of the best defences in the competition, with only Legia Warsaw having conceded fewer goals than both of them.
Match preview
Chelsea celebrate on November 7, 2024© Imago
As the clear favourite to win the Conference League this season, Chelsea have backed up that pre-tournament tag with five wins from five on the continent so far.
Doing so with a 'B' team makes it even more impressive, considering manager Enzo Maresca has guided them to the top of the charts without needing to use the likes of Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson or Moises Caicedo.
The Blues remain the only team in the competition with a 100% record, and that means direct progression to the last 16 is secured, with top spot all that is left to play for.
A point will be enough to see them top the 36-team standings, as long as Vitoria Guimaraes do not beat Fiorentina by a 10-goal margin - an occurrence which simply will not happen.
Maresca will have been happy that they were in such a comfortable position heading into their matchday five trip to Astana, making a 7,000km round trip to Almaty, because he was able to take an even more inexperienced squad for that brutal away day.
Despite an unfamiliar lineup, Chelsea still won 3-1, and a 2-1 victory over Brentford at the weekend means they have won all seven matches since returning from the November international break.
Now they will face an Irish club in Europe for the first time, and will feel confident at condemning Shamrock to yet another defeat against an English club.
The League of Ireland outfit have faced English opponents on four previous occasions, losing both group games against Tottenham Hotspur in the 2011-12 Europa League, while also going down 9-2 on aggregate to Manchester United in the 1957-58 European Cup.
Shamrock Rovers manager Stephen Bradley applauds the fans after the game on July 30, 2024© Imago
This is just their third appearance in a UEFA group stage and they have proven they belong at this level under Stephen Bradley, sitting in the top eight at present following a fine 3-0 win over Borac Banja Luka last time out.
That took Rovers to 11 points, and they remain unbeaten across the league phase ahead of their daunting away trip to the competition favourites.
Interestingly, this will be their third meeting with a British club already this season, having seen off both Larne and TNS earlier in the league phase, and draws with experienced European outfits APOEL Nicosia and Rapid Vienna have contributed to their excellent points tally.
With 10 teams all within touching distance of Shamrock though, manager Bradley will know they most likely need a point here to maintain that position in the top eight, which would secure direct passage to the last 16.
Having now gone six games unbeaten on the road, that should provide them with plenty of confidence, and they will seek to capitalise on the fact Chelsea are already through and could take their foot off the pedal slightly.
Chelsea Conference League form:
Chelsea form (all competitions):
Shamrock Rovers Conference League form:
Shamrock Rovers form (all competitions):
Team News
Chelsea winger Mykhaylo Mudryk in September 2024.© Imago
The footballing world was stunned by the news that Mykhaylo Mudryk failed a drugs test in November, meaning he is set for a lengthy suspension, and will not play for the foreseeable future.
Closing the gap to Liverpool to two points at the weekend means Chelsea will go top briefly if they beat Everton in the early kickoff on Sunday, so more heavy rotation is expected here.
Mudryk was one of the Conference League regulars, but he could see his place taken by one of the impressive youngsters who shone against Astana last week, such as Marc Guiu, who netted twice in Kazakhstan.
Josh Acheampong also caught the eye, and could feature again following the setback suffered by Benoit Badiashile, which means Tosin Adarabioyo will now be needed at the weekend.
Chelsea will need to keep an eye on Conference League joint-top scorer Johnny Kenny, as the Celtic loanee has hit five goals across the league phase for Shamrock, including two in the win over Borac.
Kenny has become the first Irishman to score as many goals in a European season since Robbie Keane in 2006-07, but this could be his last game for the club, with Celtic expected to recall him in January with the League of Ireland having come to an end in November.
The visitors are missing just one player through injury at present, and that is veteran midfielder Rory Gaffney, with Bradley set to name a similar side to the one that thrashed Borac.
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Jorgensen; Vale, Disasi, Acheampong, Cucurella; Casadei, Dewsbury-Hall; George, Nkunku, Joao Felix; Marc Guiu
Shamrock Rovers possible starting lineup:
Pohls; Cleary, Lopes, Grace; Honohan, O'Neill, Poom, Watts, Burns; Farrugia, Kenny
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We say: Chelsea 3-0 Shamrock Rovers
Chelsea have been unstoppable on the continent despite fielding a second-string side throughout, and these players will not want to take things easy with the potential of being promoted to the Premier League side with more good performances.
Shamrock have been hugely impressive throughout the league phase, but they have not faced a side anywhere near the level of Chelsea, and that could sadly see them drop out of the top eight at the final hurdle.
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