Chelsea v Legia Warsaw Europa Conference Odds & Preview

Chelsea v Legia Warsaw Europa Conference Odds & Preview

Blues carry commanding lead into second leg of Conference League quarter-final

UEFA Europa Conference League | Quarter-Final – Second Leg
Date: Thursday 17 April 2025
Kick-off: 8pm UK time
Venue: Stamford Bridge, London

Chelsea welcome Legia Warsaw to Stamford Bridge on Thursday night with one foot already in the semi-finals of the Conference League, holding a dominant 3-0 advantage from the first leg in Poland.

Maresca’s Men in Complete Control

The Blues made light work of their trip to Warsaw last week, producing a commanding display that leaves them on the verge of progressing. Goals from Tyrique George and a Noni Madueke brace sealed the win for Enzo Maresca’s side, who thoroughly outclassed their hosts across the 90 minutes.

Chelsea created chance after chance and posted an expected goals tally of over four, suggesting the scoreline could have been even more emphatic. Their superiority leaves Legia needing a miracle to turn things around in the return fixture.

Route to the Final Becoming Clearer

Following Rapid Vienna’s away win over Djurgarden, the Austrian side appear likely to await Chelsea in the next round. That could set up a final against Fiorentina or Real Betis, but with the current advantage, the Blues will first look to finish the job professionally in West London.

Chelsea have never failed to advance in Europe after winning the first leg away from home, progressing in all 15 previous instances. Rarely, though, have they entered a return leg with such a comfortable cushion.

Unrest Despite European Success

Securing a semi-final place might do little to ease tension around Stamford Bridge. A 2-2 draw with Ipswich Town at the weekend was met with frustration from supporters, many of whom have grown disillusioned with Maresca’s approach.

That result ended a seven-match winning streak at home, and Chelsea found themselves two goals down before rallying to rescue a point. The draw saw them slip to sixth in the Premier League, dealing another blow to their Champions League ambitions.

Winning the Conference League would only guarantee a place in the Europa League, which would be considered a disappointment by many given the club’s heavy investment in recent seasons.

Legia’s European Journey Nearing the End

Legia’s long wait for a return to the semi-finals of a European competition looks set to continue. Their last appearance in the final four came back in 1991, and a heavy first-leg defeat has effectively ended any hopes of a repeat.

Their form on the road in Europe offers little encouragement — they’ve now lost seven successive away knockout ties. They’ve also never won on English soil and are heading for a third consecutive away defeat in the competition this season.

Losses to Molde and Djurgarden — both by a three-goal margin — suggest a similar outcome could be on the cards after the gulf in class on display last week.

Domestic Disappointment Adds to Legia’s Woes

Legia’s focus may now shift towards domestic silverware, especially after a weekend defeat to Jagiellonia Bialystok, which dealt a blow to their hopes of securing European football via the league. Attention is likely to turn to their upcoming Polish Cup final against Pogon Szczecin.

Team News: Rotation Expected on Both Sides

Chelsea

Given the commanding nature of their first-leg advantage, Maresca is likely to shuffle his pack and offer opportunities to younger players — similar to the selection used during the group stage against Astana.

Tyrique George and Josh Acheampong, both of whom featured in Warsaw, are expected to start again. Further opportunities could arise for Mathis Amougou, Shumaira Mheuka, and Samuel Rak-Sakyi.

Among senior names in contention, Reece James may return after being an unused substitute at the weekend. Benoît Badiashile, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, and Christopher Nkunku are also in line to start, with Filip Jörgensen likely to deputise in goal.

Legia Warsaw

With qualification seemingly out of reach, Gonçalo Feio may opt to rotate his side ahead of the cup final. He fielded a strong team against Jagiellonia, but changes could follow for this trip to London.

Jan Ziolkowski and Artur Jędrzejczyk return from suspension and are available for selection. However, Legia are without several attacking options: Ilya Shkurin is not registered, and both Marc Gual and Bartosz Kapustka are major injury concerns.

Rúben Vinagre is in line to start and will be familiar with the surroundings, having previously played in England with Wolves and briefly on loan at Everton.

Prediction: Chelsea 3-0 Legia Warsaw

With the tie virtually over, Maresca will likely give some of Chelsea’s younger stars a chance to shine — and they could rise to the occasion once more. Given the disparity seen in the first leg, another convincing win appears likely.

Legia’s focus will understandably begin to shift to their domestic cup final, and a rotated line-up could struggle to keep the score respectable against a hungry Chelsea squad, even if heavily rotated.

Back Chelsea to win 3-0 at best odds of 15/2 with leading UK betting operator Ladbrokes