Chelsea will be looking to pick up where they left off against Southampton when they visit Copenhagen for the first leg of their Europa Conference League round of 16 tie on Thursday night.
The Blues have blown hot and cold over the past couple of months, suffering a drop in form that has coincided with a spike in the number of injuries Enzo Maresca has to deal with.
However, they looked like they were back to their brilliant best in their last outing against relegation-bound Southampton, running out 4-0 winners at Stamford Bridge.
Injuries to Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu have forced Maresca to deploy Pedro Neto as a makeshift striker, and it paid off against the Saints as the Portuguese forward spurred the Blues to a win with a goal and an assist.
Christopher Nkunku, Levi Colwill, and Marc Cucurella were also on the score sheet.
Maresca will demand more of the same from his troops when they visit Denmark, but it may not be as smooth sailing with up to six players ruled out of the trip.
How Chelsea could line up vs Copenhagen
Chelsea made light work of the league phase, winning all six games to secure automatic qualification to the last 16.
Maresca’s side are heavy favourites to win the Conference League this season and will arrive in the Danish capital brimming with confidence.
The game also presents the Blues with a perfect opportunity to end their woeful away form, having lost their last four games on the road across all competitions.
Maresca will have to pull off a win without as many as six players.
In addition to Jackson and Guiu, the Blues are also missing Romeo Lavia, Benoit Badiashile, Noni Madueke, and Trevoh Chalobah.
On the plus side, Wesley Fofana has returned from a lengthy lay-off but will likely start on the bench against Copenhagen.
Maresca has often used the Conference League to rotate his squad, but he’s expected to unleash his strongest available line up heading into the knockout phase.
Predicted Chelsea XI;
(4-2-3-1): Robert Sanchez; Marc Cucurella, Levi Colwill, Tosin Adarabioyo, Reece James; Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez; Christopher Nkunku, Cole Palmer, Jadon Sancho; Pedro Neto.
