Chelsea face their first Europa Conference League match of the season as they host Belgian side Gent at Stamford Bridge on Thursday night. 

The Blues have been in fine form recently, they come off the back of a 4-2 win over Brighton where star midfielder Cole Palmer scored four goals in the first half.

Enzo Maresca’s side have won their past four matches, scoring 13 goals. They are currently the highest-scoring side in the Premier League and sit fourth in the table, two points off leaders Liverpool.

They host a Gent side who have won three of their last four games and sit third in the Belgian Pro League after nine matches this season.

Chelsea will be without Reece James who still hasn’t recovered from his thigh injury that he suffered in pre-season against Real Madrid. However, other than James, Maresca will have a fully fit squad to choose from.

Despite Gent’s impressive form, the Chelsea boss may be inclined to rotate his squad somewhat due to the congested nature of the side’s fixtures. They face a Premier League clash against a tough Nottingham Forest side on Sunday.

Click here to see our predicted lineup for the Blues as they look to kick off their Conference League campaign with a win.

Chelsea made heavy favourites against Gent in the Europa Conference League

Unsurprisingly, the Blues are backed as favourites for Thursday’s game since they are a stronger side on paper and they’re at home.

According to Oddschecker, Chelsea are 2/7 favourites, giving them a 78% chance of three points. Meanwhile, Gent are backed at 19/2 and a draw at 11/2.

We predict a 4-1 win for Enzo Maresca’s side who have been scoring goals for fun lately and will want to put on a show for the faithful at Stamford Bridge.

Where to watch the Blues vs Gent

The game kicks off at 8 pm on Thursday 3 October at Stamford Bridge. It will be available to watch on BT Sport 1, BT Sport Ultimate and TNT Sports.

Furthermore, highlights will be available on the TNT Sports YouTube channel after the game.