Chelsea have a 4-1 lead heading into the second leg of their Conference League semifinal at Stamford Bridge on Thursday as Enzo Maresca’s side have more than one foot in the final in Wroclaw, Poland.
After blitzing Djurgarden in Stockholm last week, Maresca will likely make plenty of changes for the second leg to rest players for their big trip to Newcastle on Sunday. In the Premier League Chelsea secured a huge 3-1 win at home against Liverpool on Sunday to boost their hopes of qualifying of the Champions League. Back in this competition, Chelsea have been the favorites to win it from the start but know a potential final against either Real Betis or Fiorentina will be the toughest test they’ve faced in the Conference League.
Djurgarden have absolutely nothing to lose and they showed in the first leg they could cause Chelsea some problems. But the Swedish side are unlikely to cause a huge upset and will instead sit back, try to hit Chelsea on the counter and hope to leave London with their pride still intact. Never say never, but Djurgarden know that their fairytale run in the Conference League is about to come to an end. There’s nothing wrong with that.
How to watch Chelsea vs Djurgarden live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 3pm ET Thursday (May 8)
Venue: Stamford Bridge — London
TV Channel/Streaming: Paramount+
Chelsea team news, focus
Maresca is likely to make plenty of changes with the likes of George, Gusto, Sancho, James, Tosin, Badiashile, Acheampong, Jorgensen and Dewsbury-Hall all set to start. That will still give Chelsea plenty of talent on the pitch to get the job done and this competition has been a great way to keep fringe players and youngsters in good shape throughout this season.
OUT: Wesley Fofana (thigh), Mykhailo Mudryk (suspension), Omari Kellyman (hamstring), Marc Guiu (thigh), Christopher Nkunku (unknown)
Djurgarden team news, focus
Playmaker Gulliksen and forward Nguen were a handful in the first leg, while Mulugeta scored off the bench and will be pushing for a start. Djurgarden will look to make the game open and counter like they did in the second half of the first leg. If they can score early at Stamford Bridge and keep it tight they will go for it in the second half against a much-changed Chelsea side. Nothing is expected of the Swedish side and sometimes that is very dangerous.
OUT: Patric Aslund (foot), Malkolm Nilsson Safqvist (elbow), Piotr Johansson (knee), Rasmus Schuller (thigh), Nino Zugelj (foot) | QUESTIONABLE: Oskar Fallenius (foot)
Chelsea vs Djurgarden prediction
The Blues will get the job done but this feels like it will be similar to their quarterfinal home game against Legia Warsaw, with players easing through the game to make sure they are fresh if needed during the rest of the season. Chelsea 1-2 Djurgarden (Chelsea win 5-3 on aggregate).
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