Chelsea will play FC Copenhagen in the UEFA Conference League round of 16.
Chelsea to face Copenhagen in the last sixteen
After Friday’s UEFA Conference League draw, the Blues will be playing Copenhagen for a place in the last eight. The first leg will be played in the Danish capital in the first week of March. The return leg will be at Stamford Bridge Stadium.
Should the Blues move past the Denmark side, they will have the first leg of the quarter-final tie at home. Although, if Tottenham Hotspur progress over AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League last sixteen, their first leg will be as scheduled at home. That would be the same day as Chelsea’s home game. In that case, due to the potential oppositions for both the English sides, UEFA have stated that the Blues home and away fixtures will be reversed. Then they will have a away game in the first leg.
Same case will also be applied if both the London clubs progress in to their respective semi-finals. The Blues fixtures will again be reversed if their first leg will be at the Stamford Bridge. But if he Spurs were to get knocked out in the Europa League, then Chelsea’s draw won’t get affected. Their potential last eight and semi-final first leg ties will be at home.
Enzo Maresca’s side are aiming to become the first team to win all of Europe’s club competitions in the history. They’ve previously won the Champions League, Europa League, Super Cup and also the defunct Cup Winners’ Cup.
Chelsea will look to progress past Copenhagen
The west London side are the only team to win all six games in the competition. The competition has new 36-team league phase from this season. They finished the league phase without their key playmaker Cole Palmer and secured the no.1 spot in the new format of the competition.
They have faced the Danish club in the Champions League round of 16 in 2011. That time they eliminated the Denmark giants. They will have a away game for the first leg on March 6. Then they’ll host the return one a week later at the Stamford Bridge.
The Blues route to the final in the third-tier competition could also go through Poland. Should they beat Copenhagen, the English club will face Legia Warsaw or Molde in the last eight. The Dane giants have knocked out German side, Heidenheim. They won their playoffs round on Thursday. With France having zero representatives in the league phase. Spain’s only team Real Betis was paired with Vitoria Guimaraes of Portugal.
Enzo Maresca shared his thoughts after the 2-1 defeat against Villa on the weekend
In a pre-match press conference ahead of their game against Southampton, he talk about Chelsea’s recent form.
He was asked about their 2-1 loss to Aston Villa, he said: “Even against Villa, the identity was there; the way we played on and off the ball was there. The identity is there, but in this moment it is a matter of results. I have the feeling that winning one, we can have a good run again, good momentum again. This is what I feel like the players need in this moment.
“I don’t know [what it tells him] and I don’t have an answer for that. I knew this that we dropped 13 points from winning positions. Sometimes it’s football. We are trying to understand a little bit.
“The good thing is at least you were in front but now it is the other part, being in front and trying to protect that. We analyse we have chances to go from 1-0 to 2-0 and we miss more than once. If you miss, the game is always open and anything can happen.
Author’s Opinion
Chelsea’s form in the UEFA Conference League has been incredible. Finishing at the top in the league phase with six wins from six games. They will make history if they go on to win the final price. They will be the only team to win all of Europe’s club competitions.
Their Premier League performances have been under par but they’ll look to change things. Winning the Conference League in the first year as a manager at Chelsea will be a great achievement for Enzo Maresca and his team.
For more sports updates, make sure to follow us on:
Pingback: Javier Fernandez: Chelsea’s New Signing from Barcelona