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Match preview for Chelsea v Djurgarden
Chelsea will be expected to book their place in the Conference League final when they welcome Djurgarden to Stamford Bridge with a 4-1 advantage from the semi-final first leg.
The Blues have been the favourites throughout the competition, and nothing they have produced during the campaign has suggested they will not lift the trophy in Wroclaw later this month.
Enzo Maresca’s men were predictably comfortable in winning the away leg in Stockholm, Jadon Sancho and Noni Madueke on target while Nicolas Jackson scored twice to put Chelsea in command.
Chelsea did lose the home leg of their quarter-final tie with Legia Warsaw, but it would seemingly take a football miracle for Djurgarden, playing in their first European semi-final, to produce a decisive turnaround on Thursday.
The Blues were booed following their performance against Legia, and Maresca is keen to avoid a repeat despite the control his side have in the tie.
“After the first leg I said that the second game against Warsaw was not good enough,” he told a press conference.
“So that experience hopefully is going to help us, the players and us, all of us and we are going to do our job tomorrow, play a good game, try to win again and continue to build the momentum that you mentioned. So it’s very important.
“Even if the first leg was 0-3, the second game at home was not good enough. It’s not the standards that we require from the players. As I said, hopefully tomorrow we can win the game and play a good game.”
Team news for Chelsea v Djurgarden
Chelsea are in a strong position at a crucial juncture of their season. Their squad is edging closer to full fitness, with teenage forward Marc Guiu close to a return from a hamstring injury.
“We don’t have any injuries and Marc Guiu could be involved already in tomorrow’s squad. Not sure yet,” Maresca said.
“Probably for him it’s better to have some more days in terms of training session but he’s very close to be back with us.”
Predicted line-ups for Chelsea v Djurgarden
Chelsea: Jorgensen; Acheampong, Badiashile, Adarabioyo, Gusto; James, Dewsbury-Hall; Rak-Sakyi, Palmer, Sancho; George
Djurgarden: Rinne; Tenho, Une, Danielson, Kosugi; Finndell, Stensson, Gulliksen; Haarala, Nguen; Priske
How to watch Chelsea v Djurgarden: TV and Online Stream
Chelsea versus Djurgarden kicks off at 8pm UK time tomorrow night. It can be watched on TNT Sports and streamed via the Discovery+ app. Sky customers with a TNT package can also stream the game via Sky Go.
Stats
- Chelsea have scored in all 15 of their European fixtures this season, scoring two or more goals on 10 occasions.
- But the Blues have scored just twice across their two home games in the knockout rounds of the Conference League.
- At the other end, Chelsea have kept a clean sheet in just one of their last six matches in all competitions.
- Djurgarden have scored in 13 of their 16 Conference League matches.
Prediction
For as much as Chelsea won’t want to lose at home, they will have one eye on Sunday’s Premier League game at Newcastle United, which will have massive implications in the race for Champions League football.
As such, expect Maresca to shuffle his pack and the Blues to be happy with cruising into the final without exerting themselves too much in an effort to ensure they claim a home win.
Prediction: Chelsea 1-1 Djurgarden
