Enzo Maresca hands Chelsea huge triple advantage for Aston Villa as genius decision explained

Chelsea have confirmed that an even more youthful than usual 21-man squad has travelled to Germany for Thursday's Conference League group phase match against Heidenheim. As is often the case with Enzo Maresca's midweek selections, some big names miss out.

Although Maresca has done very little with his selection here to support his claims that there isn't an 'A' and 'B' team at Chelsea currently, the benefits of having such a large squad are being born out. Cole Palmer, Romeo Lavia, and Wesley Fofana, who have all been Premier League regulars, are all absent as they weren't named in the initial UEFA squad list prior to the competition.

All three have been rested for the first stage at least. Marcus Bettinelli is in the same camp with Lucas Bergstrom taking his place as third choice goalkeeper. It leaves Maresca not having to worry too much about fatigue with a crucial stage of the season on the horizon.

Chelsea play 10 games before the turn of the year with no free midweek now until January 6, 2025. As the head coach keeps a pair of tough weekend fixtures in the back of his mind - at home to Aston Villa and then away to Tottenham, with a trip to Southampton in the middle - not having to overwork his players will be crucial.

Compared to Villa, who drew 0-0 with Juventus on Wednesday night, the bulk of Chelsea's current first-choice XI will be totally fresh. Palmer, Fofana, and Lavia included - although the latter was only a substitute against Leicester - there is no distraction for Chelsea's primary players.

Meanwhile, fellow first team regulars Pedro Neto, Moises Caicedo, Marc Cucurella, Nicolas Jackson, and Enzo Fernandez have all been left behind as well. Neto and Fernandez, in particular, have made recent moves to get out of the so-called 'B-team' and into Maresca's Premier League plans.

Neto, along with Malo Gusto, missed the 2-1 win at Leicester City on Saturday. He picked up an injury whilst on international duty with Portugal and has not been risked. Although Gusto returned to training having been out of the weekend's victory with illness, he was left out as well, thought to still be recovering.

Chelsea's ability to name completely different XIs but still be comfortable favourites for Conference League matches means there is less pressure to welcome back players early. Speaking about Neto and Gusto, he said as much. "They will train with us. We do not want to take any risks for tomorrow's game but they should both be available for the weekend."

Elsewhere, Reece James remains sidelined with yet more fitness problems. He has had a scan on a hamstring issue felt leading into the Leicester game. He has not been used in the Conference League yet anyway as his minutes are managed.

Perhaps the biggest surprise to the squad is that teenage defender Josh Acheampong was not selected. He made a return to return to training after over a month out following a contract dispute. He is yet to officially sign a new deal at the club but his reintergration into the setup suggests things have progressed.

That is not enough to see him picked here, though, as his wait to feature on the pitch goes on. Instead, Chelsea have opted for a strong academy presence via other routes. Midfielders Kiano Dyer and Sam Rak-Sakyi are part of the squad whilst Tyrique George and Shumaira Mheuka get the nod in attack.

It means that of the 20 who made the matchday squad against Leicester, only four starters will be playing against Heidenheim. Joao Felix and Benoit Badiashile, of those, are the only two likely to start. For Maresca it will see the divide in first and second-choice team continue but certainly hands him a distinct sporting advantage.

The full Chelsea squad travelling to Heidenheim is as follows:

Goalkeepers: Robert Sanchez, Filip Jorgensen, Lucas Bergstrom

Defenders: Axel Disasi, Tosin Adarabioyo, Benoit Badiashile, Levi Colwill, Renato Veiga

Midfielders: Cesare Casadei, Carney Chukwuemeka, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Kiano Dyer, Samuel Rak-Sakyi

Attackers: Tyrique George, Noni Madueke, Joao Felix, Mykhailo Mudryk, Jadon Sancho, Marc Guiu, Shumaira Mheuka, Christopher Nkunku

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