Chelsea set to lose three players for Djugarden after nightmare fixture decision confirmed

Chelsea's Under-21 side will play Crystal Palace in the quarter-finals of the Premier League 2 (PL2) on Friday, it has been confirmed. The game will kick off at 7pm at Grander Green Lane - the home of Sutton United. It will also come less than 24 hours after the first team are away in Conference League action.

That game is due to start at 8pm on Thursday night and will finish at around 10pm.

The team will journey back to England on Thursday night, arriving in the early hours of Friday morning. It does not leave much time for any youth hopefuls to prepare for the PL2 knockout fixture.

Maresca has regularly called upon the services of Cobham's finest this season . He has shown a commitment to the club's esteemed academy throughout, offering many debuts and opportunities.

Some have called for Maresca to make even more use of the Under-21 and Under-18 players due to the quality of opposition being faced. Chelsea have scored 33 times from 10 matches in the competition proper. They have lost two games in total but progressed through the play-off round and quarter-finals regardless of second leg defeats.

Among those to get minutes are Sam Rak-Sakyi, Harrison Murray-Campbell, Ato Ampah, Kiano Dyer, and Geneis Antwi.

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However, the scheduling could be a blow the chances of those looking for more experience on this stage. Given Chelsea also host Liverpool on Sunday in the Premier League, appearances may well be limited.

Not only are Chelsea attempting to get into a European final - albeit one in the third tier and Djugarden currently offer very little to worry about with just seven points from five games at the start of their domestic season, leaving them 11th in the table out of 16 - but progress in the PL2 may also be prioritised. In Saturday's last-16 match against Wolves, five players with first team matchday squad appearances started and one more came from the bench.

Goals from Donnell McNeilly - one of the brightest players to not yet play for the senior team, although that is down more to a contract issue rather than ability - Rak-Sakyi, Murrary-Campbell, and Ryan Kavuma-McQueen sealed Filipe Coelho's side a spot in the last eight. Such is the depth in talent at Cobham, Chelsea have already turned to 16-year-old Kavuma-McQueen in the Under-21 XI..

He did not feature at Kingsmeadow.

Reggie Walsh, also 16, has been included in a Conference League squad. Landon Emenalo, the son of Chelsea's former sporting director, has as well. Both are more likely to be used by Coehlo or Hassan Sulaiman, the Under-18s manager, rather than Maresca this week.

Although it is not uncommon for players - especially the youngest - to play on consecutive days, even after international travel, Chelsea will have somewhat of a decision to make with regards to Mheuka, Dyer, Rak-Sakyi, and others. The PL2 is a great chance for them to claim some silverware but first team selection also matters.

How Maresca manages his key players and the wider squad ahead of a massive game with Liverpool is also worthy of attention. Chelsea's young stars have also played for different age groups in consecutive days previously as well.

Whatever happens, Cobham is coming up trumps again for Chelsea. It always does.