Chelsea vs Gent Conference League clash predicted as unlikely goalscoring hero emerges

Chelsea will be looking to continue their winning form of late when they host Belgian side Gent in their UEFA Conference League opener later tonight.

After beating Servette in qualification, Chelsea will make their debut in the Conference League later tonight, with the competition, along with the Champions League and Europa League, taking on a new format this season. Rather than the group stage phase that we all know so well, a new league phase has taken its place, where the top eight of the 36 teams will qualify automatically for the knockout stage.

Chelsea seem to have really found their rhythm in recent weeks, with the Blues most recently picking up three points in the Premier League following a 4-2 win over Brighton. Cole Palmer scored all four goals for Enzo Maresca's side, and victory tonight would be a fifth win in a row across all competitions.

So, can Chelsea open their Conference League campaign with a win? Let's take a look.

We simulated Chelsea vs Gent to get a score prediction

To complete this simulation, we used EA FC 25 and updated the squads with the latest injuries, suspensions and transfers.

We predict that Chelsea could set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: Jorgensen; Disasi, Tosin, Badiashile, Veiga; Cacadei, Dewsbury-Hall; Neto, Felix, Mudryk; Nkunku.

We predict that the Belgian side could set up in a 3-4-1-2 formation, with their line-up as follows: Roef; Gambor, Watanabe, Mitrovic; Fadiga, Ito, Delgore, Brown; Vansca; Surdez, Dean.

Chelsea should've taken the lead after 15 minutes when they were awarded a penalty following a late challenge on Christopher Nkunku, but the Frenchman fired his shot wide of the post, with the game remaining in the balance. Nkunku then hit the post two more times in the first half as the opening goal evaded the Blues, once with a close-range header, and another time with an audacious volley from 25 yards out.

Gent failed to trouble Chelsea's goal in the first half, but they were defending well, and as the game went on, the Belgian side started to look more content with holding out for a 0-0 draw. Maresca made changes in an attempt to find the first goal of the game, and in the 73rd minute, it finally arrived.

A rare Gent attack saw the visitors lose the ball just inside the Chelsea half, allowing the Blues to hit them on the break down the left. Mykhailo Mudryk did brilliantly to carry the ball to the edge of the box, and after sliding a pass into the path of Renato Veiga, the defender blasted into the roof of the net from a tight angle to make it 1-0.

The Blues were unable to add another goal to their tally, but it didn't matter as they claimed a big three points at Stamford Bridge.

EA FC 24 predicted final score: Chelsea 1-0 Gent

What do you think the final score will be? Let us know in the comments!