It’s another David vs. Goliath matchup for Chelsea in the European Conference League on Thursday as they travel to Germany to face FC Heidenheim in what is the biggest game in the Bundesliga club’s continental history.
By Alex Roberts
While likely to be less biblical than the 8-0 win over FC Noah in their previous fixture, Enzo Maresca will no doubt feel confident his side can keep their 100% record from their opening three games intact.
They shouldn’t underestimate Heidenheim, however, with the Germans also winning all three of their games so far, beating Scottish side Hearts 2-0 in their most recent game against a British side.
Enzo Maresca’s free-scoring blues
The Premier League side have shown exactly why they’re considered heavy favourites to win the tournament outright come the end of the season, scoring 16 goals and conceding three in three games.
Striker/winger Christopher Nkunku and playmaker João Félix have been on fire, both sitting as joint top goal scorers with four apiece. The Frenchman may be unhappy with his current role at the club, but he’s still doing the business on the pitch.
With Félix playing a starring role in Chelsea’s recent 2-1 Premier League win over Leicester, it’s unlikely he’ll feature in Germany, giving Tyrique George a real chance of starting.
Marvin Pieringer a major doubt
Heidenheim are likely to be without top goal scorer Marvin Pieringer for the game, after the striker picked up an achilles tendon injury on their 5-2 defeat to Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday.
Everything was peachy for Frank Schmidt’s side in his 539th game at the club before they were forced to replace the big man up top. Leading 2-0, Heidenheim looked good value for a bit upset.
Unfortunately, without Pieringer, it all fell apart, a fate they will be hoping to avoid as they take on Chelsea.
The rebirth of Mykhaylo Mudryk
The Ukrainian winger has struggled to live up to the £88.5 million price tag that brought him to Chelsea from Shakhtar in 2022, but he has found some solace in the Conference League.
Away from the spotlight, Mudryk has arguably been Chelsea’s best player of the tournament so far, bagging two goals and three assists, he’s only four goal contributions off his total for the entirety of last season.
Starts outside of Chelsea’s cup fixtures are few and far between, however, with the 23-year-old coming on as a substitute in six of his seven Premier League appearances.
Prediction
It’s hard to look beyond Chelsea for this one, but ongoing defensive frailties and Heidenheim’s physicality could cause Maresca’s side some serious headaches. We’re going to go with 2-1 to Chelsea.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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