Chelsea Rest Malo Gusto and Pedro Neto for Heidenheim Clash, Target Villa Return
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has confirmed that Malo Gusto and Pedro Neto will not feature in Thursday’s UEFA Conference League clash against Bundesliga side Heidenheim, but both are expected to return for the Premier League fixture against Aston Villa this weekend.
Gusto, who missed Chelsea’s 2-1 win over Leicester due to illness, and Neto, sidelined since the international break with an injury, have resumed training. However, Maresca is opting for caution by not risking them midweek. Speaking about their recovery, Maresca said:
Embed from Getty Images“Both have trained with us. We don’t take any risks for (Thursday’s) game, but I think both should be available for Sunday’s game.”
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For the European fixture, Maresca will continue his rotation strategy, resting key players and giving opportunities to academy talents like Kiano Dyer, Samuel Rak-Sakyi, and Tyrique George. He emphasized the importance of balancing minutes across the squad while remaining competitive:
“It’s an important competition, a European competition. Since we started, we have tried to share minutes with all the players in the squad. In some of the games, we have also used some young players. So we’ll see. In this moment, it’s like this, and hopefully we can continue in this way.”
Chelsea has been dominant in the Conference League, winning all three of their group-stage games against Gent, Panathinaikos, and Noah, scoring an impressive 16 goals. Despite this form, Maresca remains cautious:
“I enjoy every game in this competition knowing that every club tries to make it their big game. The issue for us can be that if we are not ready mentally and we underestimate a team, they can hurt us. So we need to be ready.”
The Blues will aim to maintain their flawless European record while preparing to welcome back Gusto and Neto for the crucial clash with Aston Villa.
Chelsea Rest Malo Gusto and Pedro Neto for Heidenheim Clash, Target Villa Return
