
Conference League Preview: Legia Warsaw vs. Chelsea, Quarter-Finals 1st Leg
- sky sports 2025/04/09 03:14
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After finishing top of the league phase with a 100% record, Chelsea maintained that by winning both legs of their last-16 tie with Danish giants Copenhagen last month.
Enzo Maresca's side now have a favourable run to the final, knowing they will avoid the other opponents from the top-five leagues should they make it through this quarter-final.
Djurgardens or Rapid Vienna await the winners of this clash, and that is why Chelsea find themselves clear at the top of the markets to lift the trophy next month in Wroclaw, just slightly west of their next destination Warsaw.
Chelsea could therefore become the first club to win all three of UEFA's active club competitions, while they also have a Cup Winners' Cup crown in the trophy cabinet.
However, Maresca's side are looking less convincing week-by-week, with their last five matches producing three 1-0 wins, a 1-0 defeat, and a 0-0 draw with Brentford at the weekend, where they looked rather toothless in attack.
Chelsea are still searching for a first away league win in 2025, with their only success on the road in their last 10 games coming against Copenhagen in the previous round, but that does bode well for this next assignment.
However, Legia will be no pushovers, because Goncalo Feio's men have only lost once here since mid-September, but that did come in the Conference League against Lugano during the league phase.
Legia won their first four matches in the league phase, joining Chelsea at the top of the standings, but lost their final two, only narrowly making it through in the top eight, allowing them to skip the playoff round.
It has been a mixed start to 2025, but after beating fellow Conference League competitors Jagiellona Bialystok in the domestic cup, the club from the capital went on to beat Molde after extra time to book their place in the quarter-finals of this competition.
The hosts could not have prepared any better for this clash, after beating Ruch Chorzow 5-0 to reach the Polish Cup final, they also won 2-1 against Gornik Zabrze at the weekend to strengthen their push for European qualification next season.
Chelsea should be wary of the potency of Legia's attack, because despite being down in fifth, they are the Ekstraklasa top scorers with 50 goals, and the win over Ruch last week, as well as crushing league phase wins over the likes of TSC, Dinamo Minsk and Omonia Nicosia, suggests they can score freely.
Legia Warsaw possible starting lineup:
Tobiasz; Wszolek, Pankov, Kapuadi, Ruben Vinagre; Elitim, Augustyniak, Kapustka; Chodyna, Luquinhas, Morishita
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Jorgensen; Gusto, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella; James, Caicedo, Enzo; Palmer, Jackson, Neto
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