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Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca says he hopes to give Joao Felix "more minutes and more chances" after a frustrating start to the season for the Portugal forward. Felix, 24, has yet to start a Premier League game since signing from Atletico Madrid for a fee in the region of £45m in August. But the former Benfica player is set to be included from the start when Maresca's side face Panathinaikos in Greece in the Europa Conference League on Thursday. "Joao since he arrived is doing very well with us, " said Maresca on Wednesday. "He is doing fantastic. Everything I can say is good things. We have Joao but we have more players who are unfortunately not all playing. "It's not because they are not doing well in the week. It's because the ones playing in this moment are doing very well. Joao just has to continue working in the way he is and hopefully we can give him more minutes and chances. " Chelsea, who host Newcastle in the Premier League on Sunday (14: 00 GMT), won their opening game in the group phase of the Europa Conference League 4-2 against Gent. Goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen featured in that match and will again play on Thursday. Panathinaikos sit sixth in the Greek League, five points behind leader Aris after eight games. Maresca spent 18 months in Greece at Olympiakos during his playing career. "The feeling is a bit mixed in terms of the season I spent here in Greece with Olympiakos, " he added. "It was fantastic in Athens but unfortunately at the time I was in Greece, I lost a friend on the pitch. Every time I come back here I am a bit sad. " Last Updated 4th October 2024 at 17: 56 Please Note: All times UK. Tables are subject to change. The BBC is not responsible for any changes that may be made. UEFA Conference League All competitions © 2024 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.