Chelsea vs Shamrock Rovers LIVE! Conference League match stream, latest team news, lineups, TV, prediction | OneFootball

Table-topping Blues will hope to finish their league phase campaign with a sixth consecutive win

Chelsea vs Shamrock Rovers LIVE!

Chelsea will look to make it a perfect six wins out of six in the Conference League when they conclude the league phase against Irish side Shamrock Rovers at Stamford Bridge tonight. It’s been a competition to remember so far for Enzo Maresca’s table-topping Blues, who have continued to make sweeping changes and rattled off five consecutive victories against Gent, Panathinaikos, FC Noah, Heidenheim and Astana.

Shamrock Rovers head to west London amid a superb campaign that sees them sitting sixth in the table with an unbeaten record after brushing aside Bosnian outfit Borac last time out, with hopes of avoiding a knockout play-off in the New Year as they name an unchanged team. Follow Chelsea vs Shamrock Rovers live below!

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4 minutes ago

Chelsea vs Shamrock Rovers

Standard Sport’s Malik Ouzia at Stamford Bridge

Not too many familiar names among the Shamrock Rovers lineup tonight but one that (maybe) will be is that of Markus Poom.

He is indeed the son of former Derby, Sunderland and, briefly, Arsenal goalkeeper Mart Poom.

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11 minutes ago

Chelsea vs Shamrock Rovers

Standard Sport’s Malik Ouzia at Stamford Bridge

Not sure if the Shamrock Rovers kit range comes with trackies, but they are leading about 18-0 in the Wearing Shorts Stakes as the players emerge for the warm-ups.

Christopher Nkunku in some three-quarter tights is as close as Chelsea get to pulling one back.

17 minutes ago

Shamrock Rovers unchanged from commanding Borac win

Shamrock Rovers are unsurprisingly unchanged from the side that brushed aside Bosnian team Borac 3-0 in Dublin last week thanks to goals from top scorer Johnny Kenny (x2) and Neil Farrugia.

21-year-old Celtic loanee Kenny is the dangerman up top, while midfielder Markus Poom - on loan from Estonian club Flora - is the son of former Premier League goalkeeping stalwart Mart Poom.

Brian Lawless/PA Wire

23 minutes ago

Shamrock Rovers team

Starting XI: Pohls, Lopes, Grace, Cleary, Honohan, O'Neill, Poom, Watts, Burns, Farrugia, Kenny

Subs: Steacy, A Noonan, McEneff, Greene, Burke, Kavanagh, Nugent, Clarke, Mandroiu, O’Sullivan, Byrne, C Noonan

26 minutes ago

Cucurella starts for Chelsea along with Acheampong and George

So Marc Cucurella appears in the Conference League for only the second time this season with the Spanish full-back suspended for Sunday’s Premier League trip to Everton.

Josh Acheampong earns another start on the opposite side of defence, while fellow academy graduate Tyrique George also starts again in attack.

Axel Disasi captains the side again as he did in Astana last week, though Cucurella’s involvement pushes Renato Veiga into central defence with Tosin Adarabioyo dropping to the bench.

Pedro Neto, Carney Chukwuemeka and Samuel Rak-Sakyi also drop out of the team that started in Kazakhstan, with Cesare Casadei back from suspension and Noni Madueke and Christopher Nkunku also lining up in attack.

Neto, Jadon Sancho and Joao Felix are all on the bench, but there’s no Chukwuemeka at all.

Action Images via Reuters

39 minutes ago

Chelsea team

Starting XI: Jorgensen, Acheampong, Disasi, Veiga, Cucurella, Casadei, Dewsbury-Hall, Madueke, Nkunku, George, Guiu

Subs: Sanchez, Bergstrom, Tosin, Murray-Campbell, Dyer, Rak-Sakyi, Vale, Sancho, Neto, Joao Felix, Mheuka

41 minutes ago

Chelsea fan Bradley hails Maresca for quickly instilling 'identity'

Highly-rated Shamrock Rovers boss Stephen Bradley was once a youth team player at Chelsea and also admits that he is a lifelong Blues fan.

The former midfielder is relishing his return to Stamford Bridge tonight and also hailed opposite number Enzo Maresca for instilling an identity and culture so quickly at the club.

"Nice memories,” he said. “Chelsea was a club I was at from the age of 10.

“I trained here with some of their legends - (Roberto) Di Matteo, John Terry, Gianfranco Zola, that era. I remember them quite fondly. Brilliant times.

"When you walk in and walk back up the steps, it all comes flooding back to you. Happy thoughts. It's a club I've supported since I was a boy so it's a special night for all of us.

"We have played against some big teams and big individuals in the past. It's not our first time and it won't be our last.

"You've got to set up as a team, but you've also got to give certain individuals special attention because they're special players.

"What we do know is that any XI they put out is going to be a really tough XI.

"You want to challenge yourself against the best and right now these are up there with the best around.

“The manager has come in and very quickly they have a clear identity how they want to play.

“It's very clear they have a real culture now, which is very difficult to achieve."

Chelsea FC via Getty Images

45 minutes ago

Shamrock Rovers relishing big occasion after impressive run

Shamrock Rovers have already enjoyed some famous nights in the Conference League this season, but this evening will be on another level.

“You have to be excited and nervous before games like this," said manager Stephen Bradley this week.

"That's all healthy. It keeps you on edge, keeps you sharp.

"Give me this game over a game in front of 50 people, that means nothing and no one will have any interest.

"This is why we're involved in the game, why our players work so hard. You get to test yourself against probably the most in-form team in Europe right now.

"You have to enjoy watching a team like Chelsea play this year. They've a mix of power, pace, a clear identity in what they're doing, a real energy in the team.

"It's been a real joy to watch them since the manager has come in. We've got to look and try and learn from these teams."

Action Images via Reuters

51 minutes ago

Shamrock Rovers need shock win to secure top-eight finish

Unbeaten Shamrock Rovers head into tonight’s game sitting sixth in the Conference League table with three wins, two draws and 11 points from their five matches so far.

A shock win at Stamford Bridge would seal their place in the last 16, while anything else would leave them heavily reliant on results elsewhere.

A defeat would surely likely not be enough to see them still scrape a top-eight finish and avoid a two-legged play-off in the New Year, with the standings so congested.

Celtic loanee Johnny Kenny is currently tied with Chelsea’s Christopher Nkunku and Afimico Pululu of Polish side Jagiellonia for the lead at the top of the scoring charts with five.

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1 hour ago

Maresca delighted as Acheampong contract stand-off ends

Away from Mykhailo Mudryk, the other story of note for Chelsea this week has been the long-awaited end of the Josh Acheampong contract saga at last.

A stand-off over a new deal had seen the highly-rated teenage defender not play at all since the Carabao Cup demolition of Barrow back in September, but he was back in senior action in Astana last week and yesterday finally put pen to paper on a long-term extension at Stamford Bridge until 2029.

"Very, very happy,” Enzo Maresca said of that new deal.

“Josh has been quite clear, he was with us in pre-season. I didn't know him personally, but after two or three days that he was there with us, he really impressed me.

"Since the pre-season I was trying to understand a little bit the situation with him in terms of contract and these kind of things.

“Now finally the club found an agreement with him and we are all happy because we are all convinced and sure that Josh can be a great player for this club.”

Chelsea FC via Getty Images

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