Explained: Why Enzo Maresca has left Cole Palmer, Wesley Fofana and Romeo Lavia out of Chelsea's Conference League squad

Cole Palmer, Wesley Fofana and Romeo Lavia have all been left out of Chelsea's Europa League Conference squad.

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• Chelsea name Europa Conference League squad
• Palmer, Fofana, and Lavia not in 27-man group
• Decision behind trio's omission revealed

• Table of Contents

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  On Thursday, Chelsea named their 27-man squad for the upcoming tournament. Among the list of names, there were three noteworthy absentees: Palmer, Fofana, and Lavia. So, why has the trio not been included in manager Enzo Maresca's squad?

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  THE EXPLANATION

  According to BBC Sport journalist, Nizaar Kinsella, the Blues will not call up the trio for the league phase of the competition. He claims the decision was made for 'load management' reasons as Chelsea could compete in as much as five tournaments from now until next summer.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Before the knockout stages of the tournament, all teams will go into the league phase, where they play sides from different pots of varying difficulty. Chelsea, for instance, face Gent, Panathinaikos, Noah, FC Heidenheim, Astana, and Shamrock Rovers between October and December.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Chelsea begin their European campaign at home to Gent on October 3. If they get through the league stage, Palmer, Fofana, and Lavia may be included in their squad for the knockout stages of the competition in 2025.