Chelsea

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Chelsea midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall says he "thrived" on playing in the atmosphere created by Legia Warsaw fans on his previous visit to the stadium.

The 26-year-old is the only member of the squad to have previously experienced playing at Stadion Miejski Legii Warszawa when he visited with Leicester in the Europa League in 2021.

Supporters of the Polish club have built a reputation for creating a hostile atmosphere for visiting sides.

Despite suffering a narrow defeat with his former team at the stadium, Dewsbury-Hall is relishing being in the atmosphere again when the Blues take on Legia Warsaw in the their Conference League quarter-final first leg on Thursday.

"It is definitely an atmosphere you have to experience as a player because it gives you the added little motivation. The home fans will help the home side but I feel like we can use it to help us," he said.

"It was a little bit hostile [the atmosphere], but in a good way. There were a lot of passionate Polish fans and they really support their team. I'd not experienced it before but that's the amazing thing about playing in Europe, you get to experience different atmospheres.

"It's something I'm really thankful for and it definitely helped me when I made my progression to play in the Premier League. It helped me to get used to different environments and for when the fans are being loud and getting right behind their team. It gave me a good base to kick on, and it's nice that I can come back and experience it again.

'When I played here before, it was something I thrived on - even though we lost the game [with Leicester] - and I'm looking forward to experiencing it again."

Chelsea are willing to pay 120m euros (£102m) to sign 24-year-old Real Madrid winger Rodrygo, as their star summer signing. (Fichajes - in Spanish), external

Chelsea and Newcastle United are interested in 26-year-old Benfica and Greece forward Vangelis Pavlidis for 100m euros (£85m), but face competition from Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. (Record - in Portuguese), external

The Blues are leading the race to sign 19-year-old Sunderland midfielder Jobe Bellingham, ahead of Arsenal, Brighton, Crystal Palace, Manchester United and Tottenham. (Caught Offside), external

Want more transfer news? Read Thursday's full gossip column

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Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has been speaking to the media before Thursday's Conference League quarter-final first leg against Legia Warsaw (kick-off 17:45 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Maresca confirmed that they have "good news" on striker Marc Guiu, stating he "looks good and quite better" and "can be back before the season finishes".

• The Chelsea boss also said they will "support" Wesley Fofana after hamstring surgery ruled him out for the remainder of the season, but is hopeful they can get Romeo Lavia "back soon" as he "looks quite good".

• On whether Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson will start on Thursday after being left out of the starting XI against Brentford: "Probably from outside, you receive in the wrong way the reason why Cole and Nico didn't play. It wasn't because we wanted them to play tomorrow. It was to start the game in one way and finish in another."

• On whether the draw at Brentford was a setback: "Since day one, we have been top four. For part of the season, we have been second and now we have seven games to go, and we hope to finish where we are at the moment."

• Maresca believes the "improvement is already there" in his side as that is what has taken them to the position they are currently in in the Premier League.

• On the atmosphere they will face in Warsaw: "First of all, we try to show them some of the environment in this stadium so they can adapt and be ready. Always everywhere the environment in England is nice and tomorrow will be the same. We try to always give them the big picture, not only what they can do on the ball but off the ball."

• He added: "We need to experience this kind of game, this kind of moment. After tomorrow, we will be a better team, we need this."

• On if the atmosphere will impact his team selection with young players: "They are ready. Ty [George] is ready, Josh [Acheampong] is ready. The young players are ready. Josh played two Premier League games in a row. Ty exactly the same. They are ready to play from the start."

Adam Millington
BBC Sport journalist

Coaching on a matchday is a team affair for Thomas Frank. He has no qualms with stepping back to analyse the game and allowing the rest of his backroom team to deputise.

Frank constantly shifted back to the bench with his notepad in hand to speak to colleagues before stepping back to convey information to the players on the pitch.

He seemed to prefer the slightly higher vantage point from the bench. It also gave him the ability to intently watch replays of what was happening on the pitch, assess the game in real time and make any needed adjustments.

Enzo Maresca, however, was the polar opposite. He rarely retreated to the bench, instead spending the game pacing up and down - and often outside of - his dugout.

Maresca was regularly animated, shouting instructions towards his players and running backwards and forwards. Frank, meanwhile, was quiet and pensive in his technical area.

See what all the other managers did

Napoli and Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen, 26, favours a move to Juventus or a Premier League club once his loan spell at Galatasaray ends. Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United are all interested in the forward, who is available for 65m euros (£55.7m). (ESPN, external)

Boss Enzo Maresca is planning for life without Ukraine winger Mykhailo Mudryk, 24, and France forward Christopher Nkunku, 27, in his Chelsea squad next season. (Sun Club - subscription required, external)

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Defender Benoit Badiashile has said Chelsea are "ready to meet expectations" by winning the Conference League this season.

Chelsea will play in the first leg of their quarter-final against Legia Warsaw on Thursday.

"Chelsea is one of the best clubs in the world, so people expect you to win it and we're comfortable with that," Badiashile told the club website., external

"We've been aware of that since the start of the tournament and we're ready to meet those expectations.

"It's been going really well. We've won every game. The start of the competition has been flawless so far - despite the fact that we could have played some games slightly better. But ultimately, the win is what counts.

"We are really pleased with our performance so far, but it's not over yet. We still have a lot of games to go before we can win the trophy. We're going to give everything we've got to win it because it's an important objective for us.

"I'm going to give my all with the team to win this trophy, because we have what it takes."

Will Faulks
Fan writer

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It is now April - the end of the season is in sight - yet it still feels difficult to know where this Chelsea side are in terms of its development.

Are they a good team who have been unlucky with injuries since the turn of the year? Or are they a bad team who rode a wave of freshness and momentum when everyone was available in the autumn?

Even their stats are hard to interpret. On the one hand, they have conceded just two goals in their past seven games. On the other hand, they have only won one away game since December - and that was in the Conference League.

Their league position is just as inconclusive. They were fourth after Sunday's draw at Brentford, but are just two bad results away from being eighth.

This final run of games will hopefully produce some definitive answers.

While Wesley Fofana has now been ruled out for the season, the rest of Enzo Maresca's favoured XI are back fit and they have competitive games against strong teams still to come, in which they can prove they are as good as they looked earlier in the campaign.

By all accounts, Maresca's job is safe and the ownership are happy with the progress of their project throughout this season. However, it is the fans who are, largely, much less sure about the direction things are heading.

As ever in football, narrative and recency bias control a lot of the sentiment around a team, and going into the summer on an upward trajectory like they did last year will be vital for creating an optimistic mood at the club.

The Conference League and Club World Cup will also be hugely important in proving that there has been progress since August.

While other teams are starting to think about their holidays, to some extent the season is really just getting started for Chelsea.

Find more from Will Faulks at Chelsea News, external

Chelsea's sale of the club's women's team made the club compliant with the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability rules, says BBC Sport football reporter Nizaar Kinsella.

The Premier League has yet to approve the sale of the women's team to the club's parent company BlueCo through their 'fair market value' rules.

The valuation attributed to the women's team is under scrutiny and could prove significant.

You can listen to Nizaar and the team on Monday Night Club debate the move below or listen to the full show here

Chelsea are no longer interested in signing Napoli and Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen, 26, this summer, leaving Manchester United as his main suitor. (CaughtOffside), external

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We asked for your views on Enzo Maresca rotating his Chelsea starting XI for Sunday's 0-0 draw at Brentford.

Here are some of your comments:

Nick: Maresca said he wanted to "start the game one way and finish another". Fair enough after a tiring game only three days earlier. But surely that should have meant starting with the strongest XI, to try to get a goal or two ahead, and then finishing with the back-up players to manage the rest of the game.

Hugh: No he was not right! If you have injuries or a player is out of form, then yes you have to make changes. But that performance v Spurs was a move in the right direction - so he changes the team and destroys the momentum! Surely he can see that!

Freddie: Jackson and Palmer have been out for weeks, we can't expect them to start two games in three days straight away. It is unfortunate we don't have a decent second striker (Guiu would have done lots better than Nkunku I'm sure) but we didn't concede and others dropped points. A bit of a limp end to the season but if we get fifth then we can go again after the Club World Cup.

John: I love all these fans who think you can play your best team every game regardless of upcoming fixtures or players fitness and recovery levels. Enzo was quite right to rotate and look towards future games. There is no way it would have made sense to start Palmer and Jackson, both coming back from injuries. Assuming we need them for Ipswich, they can't manage three games in such a short time.

Rafael: Ridiculous choice. We all knew that this game was finished before it started once we saw the line-up. I'm surprised we left with a point. If you want to manage your best players minutes, start them to set the tempo and hopefully be up by half-time so that you can take them off in the second half. This is yet another example of Maresca throwing points away in must-win matches with a terrible line-up.

Chris: Surely the time to rotate is when we have secured a Champions League spot for next season, not now! Again, Maresca shows his lack of experience at this level.

Nick T: I wasn't surprised to see rotation - given the recent injuries I think it made sense not to risk more long-term absences for key players like Jackson and Palmer. That being said (and with hindsight), playing them in the first half and taking them off at half-time if we were winning perhaps would have also made sense. I still trust the manager though.

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After boosting their hopes of a Champions League place next season by beating Tottenham on Thursday, it was a surprise for many Chelsea fans to see so many changes in the starting XI at Brentford on Sunday.

Enzo Maresca rested Nicolas Jackson, Cole Palmer, Marc Cucurella and an in-form Pedro Neto against their west London neighbours, bringing in Malo Gusto, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Christopher Nkunku and Noni Madueke.

However, with those starters failing to impress, all four of the rested players were brought on in the second half. They could not find the much-needed breakthrough as the game ended goalless.

Having returned from recent injuries, Maresca suggested not all of the rested players were "100%" for the game and that "the plan nearly worked" with the side creating more after the break.

The Blues are fourth, but their hopes of securing a guaranteed Champions League spot next campaign have been dented with those behind them closing in on their current tally of 53 points.

Whether through choice or fitness issues, rotation has become a feature of Maresca's early time in charge at Stamford Bridge.

According to Opta, the former Leicester manager has made 84 changes to his starting line-up so far this season - the fifth most of any side in the top flight, behind Manchester City, Ipswich Town, Southampton and Spurs.

Brentford have made the fewest changes of any team (42).

With a trophy still on the line in the Europa Conference League, the strength of Maresca's starting line-up in the quarter-final first leg on Thursday will be interesting to see before Chelsea host Ipswich on Sunday.

What do you make of Maresca's decision to rest players? Is it the right choice to rotate or should he be selecting a more consistent starting XI?

Let us know

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Former Premier League striker Clinton Morrison says he was left questioning what Enzo Maresca was thinking when the Chelsea line-up was announced for their game at Brentford on Sunday.

Maresca rested Nicolas Jackson, Cole Palmer, Marc Cucurella and an in-form Pedro Neto against their west London rivals. In came Malo Gusto, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Christopher Nkunku and Noni Madueke, who all struggled to make an impact.

"I don't get what Maresca is doing," said Morrison on BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast. "It is like when they were second in the league and he kept playing down that they could challenge for the title, now they are in a position to finish in the Champions League places and he makes all of those changes.

"I know they have a European game [against Legia Warsaw on Thursday] but they could play their second team and win that Conference game. That is without a shadow of a doubt.

"Do not rest your players in the Premier League. I think it will go right down to the wire with them and I am not so confident in them.

"I know there are a lot of games to go but it feels like Maresca is going to be their downfall.

"How can you not play Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson? I was shocked."

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Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

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When Enzo Maresca's starting line-up was announced before Chelsea's trip to Brentford on Sunday, there was a sense of surprise among many Blues fans across social media.

And after a drab goalless draw stretched their winless away run to eight matches, to leave their Champions League hopes in the balance, questions about his team selection grew even louder.

Maresca rested Nicolas Jackson, Cole Palmer, Marc Cucurella and in-form Pedro Neto. In came Malo Gusto, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Christopher Nkunku and Noni Madueke, who all struggled to make an impact.

All four of Chelsea's rested stars came on in the second half, which saw the Blues go from having just six shots and one on target before the interval to 17 shots and four on target after the break.

The Chelsea boss also faced criticism from sections of the away end, who have shown increasing frustration at his style of play, amid chants of "attack, attack, attack" and "we've had a shot" during a poor first half.

The bigger concern is that, although Chelsea remain fourth, the fight for Champions League places is looking increasingly competitive, with Manchester City, Aston Villa and Newcastle all within three points of the Blues.

With a Conference League quarter-final against Legia Warsaw to come on Thursday, and the likes of Palmer and Jackson just returning from injuries, Maresca was quick to defend his squad rotation.

The Italian also blamed the quick turnaround for his selection gamble, claiming it was unfair his side had 24 hours less than Brentford to prepare for the match, having played Tottenham at home on Thursday.

When pressed by BBC Sport on whether he could have rotated in other games, he said: "This is a different opinion. I'm here to try to do the best for the club and players. I work every day with the players so I can see how they are.

"I'm not sure if Spurs at home is harder than Brentford away. For me, they are all complicated."

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Following Chelsea's goalless draw away at Brentford on Sunday, we asked you to have your say on the result that leaves their Champions League qualification hopes in the balance.

Here are some of your comments:

Tony: I hope they don't finish in the top five. They're not good enough for Champions League anyway. I'd like to see them slip out of all European places just to send a message to the clueless owners.

John: To save players for the potential to win the Europa Conference League and therefore qualify for next season's Europa League rather than go for a Champions League place is utter madness and shows how much Enzo Maresca is out of his depth.

Nick: Another disappointing performance with Christopher Nkunku and Jadon Sancho proving once again they are B team at best. Strategic error to play an attacking formation without a goal threat. We need top five and these are not the levels that will deliver the Champions League place this club and recent investments demand.

Duncan: The golden rule of football is to never change a winning team. Maresca killed the momentum built on Thursday in the win against Spurs. We won't win anything with him in charge.

Dazza: Despite the huge financial outlay, we are a boring team to watch. Maresca's style of possession-based football resembles Sarri-ball, which was also turgid. Players are so afraid of losing the ball in transition that they always put the brakes on and pass back. There's no risk taking. So many players are now anonymous. Would Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall be in any top-10 side? We are so far away from being a title winning side. The positive - Moises Caicedo always great.

Diane: Words fail me. Every week it's a game of two halves. Second half did get better but just nowhere near good enough. The team selection just doesn't make sense half the time and some players just don't put enough effort in. I'm just thankful I'm going away for two weeks and I just hope we're still in the top half of the table by the time I return.

Highlights and analysis from Sunday's four Premier League fixtures, plus the best of the action from the rest of the weekend.

If you missed Match of the Day 2, catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

And you can watch Saturday's Match of the Day here.

Listen back to the weekend's full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Crystal Palace 2-1 Brighton

• Aston Villa 2-1 Nottingham Forest

• Fulham 3-2 Liverpool

• Man Utd 0-0 Man City

Jonty Colman
BBC Sport journalist

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Chelsea's goalless draw at Brentford marked an eighth consecutive away match without picking up a victory in the Premier League for the Blues.

It is Enzo Maresca's side's longest winless run away from home in the top-flight since a 16-game run stretching between April 2000 and March 2001.

Given five points separate Chelsea in fourth and Fulham in eighth, with fourth and fifth set to be enough for Champions League qualification, the difference between which competition the Blues and their European-chasing rivals qualify for could be decided by just a couple of points, if not fewer.

Chelsea's winless away run, starting on 22 December after a goalless draw at Everton, includes trips to Manchester, Arsenal, Brighton and Aston Villa. Most, if not all, of that quartet, will be playing European football next season.

The Blues' final three away games do not get any easier, with Fulham, Newcastle and Nottingham Forest, who all sit in the top eight, still on Chelsea's radar on the road between now and the end of the season.

But the eight-game run on the road, including a defeat to Ipswich Town and draws with Everton, Crystal Palace and Brentford, will all feel like missed opportunities.

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Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has been speaking to Match of the Day: "I think we shot more than 20 times, I think the only thing we missed was the goal but overall, it's been a good performance."

On his team selection: "We played Thursday night, so the idea was to start the game in one way and finish in another way. I think the plan nearly worked. We just the missed the goal."

On the performance: "We can always do something better, not only today but in general. When you shoot more than 20 times, you've made enough chances to win the game."

On balancing the Premier League and Conference League: "It's difficult, but at the same time it's nice because it means we're near the end."

On whether still being in the Conference League is a good thing: "To be honest, when you are Chelsea manager you have to win all the games, not only in the Conference [League]. It is the same pressure."