Cole Palmer could make his first appearance for Chelsea in Europe since August when they face Copenhagen in the first leg of their Uefa Conference League last-16 tie on Thursday.

The England forward played in the qualifying round but was left out of the group stage to manage his workload.

Palmer, 22, scored 14 goals in the first half of the season but has not scored in Chelsea’s last seven games in all competitions.

Blues boss Enzo Maresca confirmed he could feature in Denmark on Thursday, and is not concerned by his recent goal drought.

“If he is in the squad, he can play minutes, no doubt,” Maresca said. “Cole is always happy to play games, even training sessions.

“In terms of numbers… I’m happy with the way Cole is, even in the last game or Aston Villa away.

“He’s not always going to score, it’s normal.”

Goalkeeper Robert Sanchez is also set for his Conference League debut, replacing Filip Jorgensen, who started the last six matches.

Copenhagen are top of their domestic league with just two defeats from their 20 games and Maresca is expecting them to provide a difficult test.

“They are a very, very good team,” he added. “They are doing great in their [domestic] league and also in the Conference League.

“They have a very good manager and a very good team; they play nice football, so it will be a good game.”