Chelsea will travel to Warsaw today to face Legia Warszawa in the first leg of their UEFA Europa Conference League quarterfinal. For Chelsea, it’s a chance to win some silverware; for Legia, it’s a chance to make history by going further than ever in a European competition.
Legia Warszawa
Legia Warszawa come into this game off the back of a 2-1 win over Gornik Zabrze in the Ekstraklasa. Despite their domestic struggles (they’re 5th in the league) they’ve been solid at home, losing just once at Stadion Wojska Polskiego since mid-September. But injuries and suspensions are a big problem for manager Goncalo Feio.
Key absentees are Marc Gual and Bartosz Kapustka (both injured) and Jan Ziolkowski and Artur Jędrzejczyk (suspended). Steve Kapuadi is back from suspension and will play at the back. Legia will rely on Luquinhas who scored twice in their last league game and Ryoya Morishita up front.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Tobiasz; Wszolek, Pankov, Kapuadi, Vinagre; Elitim, Augustyniak, Kapustka; Chodyna, Morishita, Luquinhas.
Chelsea
Chelsea come into this game off a 0-0 draw with Brentford in the Premier League. Enzo Maresca rotated his squad heavily for that game, resting several key players for this European tie. Chelsea are unbeaten in the Conference League this season, winning all 8 games and keeping 6 clean sheets.
Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson will start alongside Pedro Neto and Marc Cucurella. Wesley Fofana and Romeo Lavia are injured but Maresca has enough depth to field a strong team. Chelsea’s defence has been rock solid all season, they’ve conceded just 1 goal in their last 5 games across all competitions.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Jorgensen; Gusto, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Palmer, Neto, James; Jackson.
Key Stats
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Chelsea are unbeaten in Europe this season with eight wins from eight matches and six clean sheets.
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Legia Warszawa have lost just once at home since mid-September but have struggled against stronger opposition in Europe.
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Chelsea have failed to score in four of their last five matches across all competitions.
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Legia are the highest-scoring team in Poland’s Ekstraklasa this season with 50 goals despite sitting fifth in the table.
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Chelsea could become the first club to win all three active UEFA men’s club competitions (Champions League, Europa League, Conference League).
Player to Watch: Cole Palmer
Cole Palmer has been one of Chelsea’s standout performers this season with his intelligence and creativity in attacking transitions. His ability to link midfielders like Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo with forwards such as Nicolas Jackson will be crucial against Legia’s compact defensive setup.
Prediction
Legia Warszawa’s strong home form and resilience make them tough opponents at Stadion Wojska Polskiego. However, Chelsea’s quality and defensive organization should help them avoid defeat while keeping the tie balanced heading into the second leg.
Legia Warszawa 1-1 Chelsea
Live Stream
Watch online via NaijaSport247
