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Match preview for Legia Warsaw v Chelsea
Chelsea will be expected to take the next step towards their first trophy under Enzo Maresca when they face Legia Warsaw in the Europa Conference League.
Still boasting a 100 percent record in a competition in which they have been heavy favourites throughout, the Blues are balancing their Conference League ambitions with a push to secure Champions League qualification by finishing in a top-five spot in the Premier League.
Their hopes of doing the latter suffered a setback last Sunday as they were held to a 0-0 draw by London rivals Brentford.
Maresca controversially rested the likes of Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson as part of five changes made for that game, seemingly with one eye on Thursday’s quarter-final first leg in the Polish capital.
Conventional wisdom suggests Chelsea would have been better off resting players against Legia given the superiority they have displayed in the Conference League.
But Legia have lost just once in seven home games in the Conference League this season including the qualifying rounds.
Though none of the sides they have faced in that run are of the calibre of Chelsea, it appears Maresca will not be taking any chances and will look for a strong XI to all but seal the Blues’ place in the last four with a comfortable away leg victory.
Team news for Legia Warsaw v Chelsea
Chelsea are set to recall those rested against Brentford. Palmer, Jackson, Levi Colwill, Marc Cucurella and Pedro Neto are likely to feature in Warsaw.
Legia defenders Jan Ziolkowski and Artur Jedrzejczyk are suspended, but Steve Kapuadi is set to return from a ban.
Predicted line-ups for Legia Warsaw v Chelsea
Legia Warsaw: Tobiasz, Wszolek, Pankov, Kapuadi, Ruben Vinagre, Elitim, Augustyniak, Kapustka, Chodyna, Luquinhas, Morishita
Chelsea: Jorgensen, Gusto, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella, James, Caicedo, Enzo, Palmer, Jackson, Neto
Stats for Legia Warsaw v Chelsea
- This is the first meeting between Legia Warsaw and Chelsea.
- Including the playoff round, Chelsea have conceded at least once in four of their five away games in the Conference League.
- The Blues have failed to score more than once in each of their last five games, including a 1-0 Conference League win over Copenhagen.
How to watch Legia Warsaw v Chelsea: TV and online stream
Legia Warsaw v Chelsea will be broadcast on TNT Sports 1 in the UK. It will also be available on the Discovery Plus app. Sky Sports customers with a TNT Sports package can watch the game on Sky Go.
Prediction
While the decision to rest players at Brentford may have backfired domestically, it should mean Chelsea’s stars are fresh and at their best against Legia.
The gulf in class is just too big to expect anything other than a routine away win.
Prediction: Legia Warsaw 1-4 Chelsea
