Conference League League Phase, Matchday 1, Thursday, 03.10.2024 at 21:00
The Conference League kicks off for the top favorites Chelsea. Admittedly, the Londoners would prefer to be in the top flight, but last season they only managed to qualify for the third-tier European competition.
The Conference League is not very important for a big club like Chelsea. The Premier League is clearly the focus. The Blues have made a good start. A few rotations are to be expected, but ultimately I still expect a class difference and send the Chelsea goal into the race in both halves of Oddset.
Three wins in a row, haven’t lost any of the last five games and have the most league goals to their name. Chelsea have made a strong start to the season and are in fourth place, just two points behind leaders Liverpool.
Will the Blues finally get out of the crisis? It looks like it. Cole Palmer in particular stood out in the 4:2 win. The 22-year-old became the first Premier League player in history to score four goals in one half. He single-handedly blew Brighton apart in the 4-2 win.
The attacking midfielder, who plays at the 10 in a 4-2-3-1, has six Premier League goals in total. Chelsea’s only defeat of the season came in the season opener against Man City, a 2-0 defeat in which the team from Stamford Bridge sold themselves well.
Chelsea’s only other defeat of the season came in the Conference League, more specifically in the second leg of the play-off qualifier against Servette Geneva. However, FC could afford the 2-1 defeat after a 2-0 win in the first leg.
Before the recent 4-2 win over Brighton, there were two resounding victories against West Ham (3-0) and Barrow (5-0) in the EFL Cup. The offense is in top form. Enzo Maresca, the Blues’ coach since July, has made the right adjustments so far.
He has not deviated from the 4-2-3-1 so far, and this formation should also be used against Gent in the Conference League despite the expected rotations. The sports betting providers are unanimous. Chelsea (1.25) should start with a win. Ghent has an 8.25, the draw is at 6.00.
For Chelsea it is the first participation in the still young competition. In terms of market value alone, Chelsea are superior. AC Florence have the second most valuable personnel in terms of millions of euros, but their squad is only a quarter of Chelsea’s.
Chelsea’s 954 million euro team accounts for around half of the total value of 36 teams! Only four teams have a squad in the three-digit range.
Unsurprisingly, Chelsea is a 2.75 top favorite at Bet365, where you can get a strong Bet365 new customer bonus, ahead of Real Betis and Florence, followed by the first opponent Gent.
Gent is one of the absolute top clubs in Belgium and has also played in the Champions League several times. In 2015/16, they even reached the round of 16 against Wolfsburg, but were eliminated by the Lower Saxons.
KAA have played in the Conference League every season so far. The best performance was the quarter-finals in 2022/23, with West Ham being the last stop. So this will not be the first encounter against a London club in this tournament.
Like Chelsea, Gent also had to go through qualifying first. After an easy game against Icelandic club Vikingur Gota, it became increasingly difficult with Silkeborg and Partizan Belgran. In the end, 14 goals were scored in six games.
Things are also going well in the Belgian Pro League, with 16 points after nine games and third place. 17:9 goals, overall Gent has the most efficient offense with a strong 14.8 percent chance conversion rate.
The goal of both teams is definitely an odds that is buzzing around in my head. There’s about 1.70 waiting for it, but ultimately it’s a bit too hot for me. Chelsea, even with some B personnel on the pitch, are a different proposition.
In addition, the London club have played three of their last four games without conceding a goal. Ghent have also conceded two goals in each of their last two league games away from home. The situation in midfield is also difficult.
In addition to captain Sven Kums, three other players in the center are out.
Chelsea, on the other hand, will only be without Reece James. The days of a full hospital are over for the time being.
Incidentally, Chelsea are only mid-table in terms of the number of chances created, but have the best conversion rate of the top teams with 15.6%. Only Brentford are better in the league.
Conclusion: Chelsea and Gent play each other for the first time on Thursday. The hosts are in strong form, but are likely to make one or two changes. Ghent still have to make compromises in midfield anyway due to injuries.
The Buffaloes had their problems against Ball, especially away from home. Against top club Bruges, the team had to concede around 30 goals and now it’s off to London to Chelsea FC, currently one of the best clubs in Europe.
I expect Chelsea to control the game from start to finish, but conceding a goal can happen quickly. I therefore opt for the following bet.
My Chelsea Gent tip: Chelsea will score in both halves
