5 first-team Chelsea stars left out of squad for Conference League clash with Panathinaikos

Chelsea are set to be without five first-team players as they prepare to travel for their UEFA Europa Conference League trip to Panathinaikos on Thursday (October 24).

The Blues won their opener 4-2 at home to Genk earlier this month, having beaten Servette 3-2 on aggregate in the play-off. Enzo Maresca's side, though, are coming off a 2-1 defeat at Premier League leaders Liverpool at the weekend, which snapped a seven-game unbeaten streak across competitions.

For their upcoming trip to Greece, the Blues haven't included Levi Colwill, Moises Caicedo, Nicolas Jackson, Reece James and Malo Gusto, as per CFCDaily. Among the quintet, James made his season debut in the aforementioned Liverpool defeat at the weekend.

The Blues captain has been beset by injuries since last season, appearing just 12 times across competitions. In his lone outing this campaign, James put in a decent shift, registering a team-high six crosses and 14 passes in the final third.

He won three of his five duels, including one aerial duel, and made a tackle and an interception as well. Although he was arguably at fault for the Reds' winner, James was pleased with his outing (as per onefootball.com):

“It was great to be involved again. I missed playing in big games and playing against big players, so it was a big step."

“It’s been a long time since I started a game, and starting here was always going to be tough, but I’m feeling good. The road to recovery has been tough – it definitely hasn’t been easy. I hope to stay strong, keep going, and help the team achieve what we want to achieve.”

However, James will have to wait for his next outing, as he's not a part of the squad to take on Panathinaikos in midweek.

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Cole Palmer explains why he's not part of Chelsea's Conference League squad

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca

Cole Palmer, 22, is coming off a superb first season at Chelsea last season and also helped England reach the Euro 2024 final, losing 2-1 to Spain in the Berlin final.

The Englishman is not a part of the Blues' squad for the group stage of the UEFA Europa Conference League, though. However, Palmer knows why that's the case, sharing a conversation he had with club boss Enzo Maresca (as per the club's website via The Chelsea Chronicle):

“Enzo explained that it was because it was only my first full season in football last year, and he wants me to be fresh this season. That’s the thinking behind it; I get more rest.”

Palmer has six goals and five assists in 10 games across competitions, with all of those goal contributions coming in the Premier League, where Chelsea are sixth after eight games.