For the young Armenian club, this marks a historic first trip to England, but they'll face a formidable challenge against a Chelsea team that has looked unstoppable on the continent so far.
In their first two matches of the competition, Chelsea took on two teams with serious ambitions of going far this season in Gent and Panathinaikos and brushed them aside with ease. Both clubs were comfortably beaten 4-0, showcasing Chelsea's attacking power and dominance.
With a perfect record in the group stage so far, Enzo Maresca's squad has the best goal difference of any team in the Conference League, sitting proudly at the top of the standings. This form has made them the clear favorites to win the competition, with bookmakers nearly giving them odds-on to lift the trophy, which would make them the first team to win all four of UEFA’s major club competitions, including the now-defunct Cup Winners’ Cup.
Chelsea's next match against FC Noah will be the least challenging of their group stage, with most expecting an easy victory before more difficult away trips to Heidenheim in Germany and Astana in Kazakhstan in December.
Chelsea’s team for this match will likely be rotated, as has been the case in all of their cup games so far. Maresca will rest key players ahead of a crucial Premier League clash against London rivals Arsenal at the weekend, with Chelsea looking to extend their lead over the Gunners to three points and stay in the top four of the Premier League.
For FC Noah, this is the kind of match they could only dream of before the draw was made in August. As runners-up in last season’s Armenian Premier League, this will be their first encounter with the two-time Champions League winners.
Founded just seven years ago in 2017, FC Noah are the youngest team in Europe this season, but they’ve already made a name for themselves. Against the odds, they’ve reached this stage of the Conference League, becoming the first team in the competition’s short history to progress from the first qualifying round to the group stage.
Their previous European campaigns were brief, with early exits, but this time, they’ve defied expectations. They started by beating Shkendija in both legs of the first qualifying round, followed by a stunning 7-0 win over Sliema Wanderers.
They pulled off an incredible upset against Greek giants AEK Athens, securing a 3-1 win at home and holding on to advance on aggregate. They repeated that resilience in the playoffs against Ruzomberok.
However, their away form has been a concern. While they drew in Malta against Sliema, they've lost three consecutive away games, including a tough trip to Rapid Vienna on matchday two.
Despite those struggles, FC Noah made history with an opening-day win over Mlada Boleslav and are still in the hunt for a spot in the knockout rounds. Back in Armenia, they’re in good form, having won four straight league matches and scored 14 goals in the process. But even with that confidence, they know a trip to Stamford Bridge will likely end in defeat.
Still, they'll be looking ahead to their upcoming home matches against Vikingur and APOEL as key opportunities to secure points and keep their unlikely knockout hopes alive.
INJURIES & SUSPENSIONS
Chelsea are set to make eleven changes to their lineup once again for this cup clash, and given the level of opposition, manager Enzo Maresca could give some of the younger players more minutes.
Cole Palmer is dealing with a minor knee issue after a rough tackle by Lisandro Martinez over the weekend. However, Palmer isn’t part of Chelsea's European squad, so he'll have time to rest up ahead of the big Premier League match against Arsenal this weekend.
Pedro Neto’s impressive cup performances have earned him a spot in the Premier League starting XI, while Jadon Sancho, who’s still recovering from illness, won’t be available for this game. That opens the door for Carney Chukwuemeka to potentially earn a rare start, after making a substitute appearance in Chelsea’s last European outing.
For FC Noah, left-back Gudmundur Thorarinsson was forced off early in their match against Rapid Vienna two weeks ago and will miss this one, along with midfielder Martin Gambos, who's also sidelined.
Goncalo Gregorio will be pushing to get back into the starting lineup after scoring in both the AEK and Ruzomberok qualifiers, and he's continued his fine form in the league with six goals in nine matches.
Goalkeeper Ognjen Cancarevic made headlines when he scored from his own penalty area in the win over AEK, but he’ll likely be more focused on his usual job here. He’s already made six saves in FC Noah’s first two group-stage games and will be crucial again in what promises to be a busy night for him.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Jorgensen; Renato Veiga, Disasi, Badiashile, Cucurella; Enzo, Dewsbury-Hall; Chukwuemeka, Joao Felix, Mudryk; Nkunku
FC Noah possible starting lineup:
Cancarevic; Mendoza, Goncalo Silva, Muradyan, Hambardzumyan; Eteki, Oulad Omar, Sangare; Helder Ferreira, Goncalo Gregorio, Pinson
EXPERT PREDICTION
Chelsea 4-1 Noah
There aren’t many bigger mismatches in European competition this season than this one, but a heavy defeat for FC Noah isn’t a given. The Armenian side has shown they can compete and defend resolutely.
Chelsea, however, have struggled to keep clean sheets recently, with their last one coming in a 5-0 win over League Two Barrow nine games ago. Despite Noah's solid start to the campaign, it's hard to see them causing Chelsea too many problems here. A comfortable, routine win for the Blues looks the most likely outcome.
