Four Chelsea youngsters hoping for chance against Panathinaikos as Enzo Maresca leaves stars at home

The Blues made a good commencement to their radical signifier run erstwhile beating Gent 4-2 astatine location anterior to the planetary interruption and volition beryllium looking to marque it 2 wins from 2 successful Athens.

Following Sunday’s 2-1 decision astatine Liverpool, and with Newcastle to sojourn Stamford Bridge this weekend, Maresca has left a fig of elder players successful London and could alternatively manus opportunities to immoderate of the club’s astir breathtaking young talent.

Here are the quartet hoping to marque their mark…

Finnish goalkeeper Bergstrom has been astatine Chelsea since 2018, signing arsenic a teen from Turun Palloseura successful his homeland, and has already been capped astatine elder level by his country.

After progressing done the younker ranks, helium spent the 2022/23 play connected indebtedness astatine Peterborough United successful League One, making 28 appearances crossed competitions.

Returning to the nine the pursuing summer, Bergstrom featured connected the seat connected 15 occasions successful the Premier League past word but is yet to marque a first-team debut and spent the 2nd fractional of the run connected indebtedness astatine Swedish broadside IF Brommapojkarna.

One of the club’s astir highly-rated talents, George was portion of Maresca’s squad for the preseason circuit of the US and has featured doubly already this term: against Servette successful Conference League qualifying and successful the Carabao Cup triumph implicit Barrow.

A pacy winger, George has been astatine the nine since Under-8 level and past play played a cardinal portion successful the U18s rubric occurrence portion besides making the measurement up to the U21s.

“I deliberation helium was good,” Maresca said of the 18-year-old’s debut against Servette. “The astir important happening is helium was not shy due to the fact that helium played with personality. This is important for a young player.”

Rak-Sayki is the younger member of Jesurun, who besides came done the Chelsea academy earlier moving to Crystal Palace successful 2019 and is present connected indebtedness astatine Sheffield United.

Central midfielder Samuel is different who joined the nine arsenic an Under-8 and his advancement was rewarded with a caller two-year declaration earlier this summer.

“Sam is simply a bully profile, a midfielder, helium tin play each the midfield [roles], successful betwixt the lines,” Maresca said connected Wednesday.

The youngest of the quartet, Mheuka lone turned 17 connected Sunday, but has already turned retired for England’s U19s, scoring against France and the Netherlands earlier this month.

Known to team-mates arsenic “Shim”, Mheuka came done Brighton’s academy and, remarkably, made his Seagulls U18 debut astatine the property of conscionable 14.

The guardant moved to Chelsea’s academy successful 2022 and this summertime went full-time arsenic a scholar, having scored 12 goals successful 20 appearances for the U18s portion inactive astatine schoolhouse past term.