Chelsea vs Djurgården

Chelsea host Djurgardens IF at Stamford Bridge on Thursday for the second leg of their Conference League semi-final.

After a dominant 4-1 victory in Sweden last week, Enzo Maresca’s team are all but assured a place in the final, where they’ll face either Real Betis or Fiorentina later this month in Wroclaw.

With odds of 1/1000 to advance, Chelsea are firmly in control of this semi-final, having been strong favorites even before the first leg.

Jadon Sancho and Noni Madueke scored to give the Blues a halftime lead, followed by two goals from substitute Nicolas Jackson to make it 4-0, with Isak Alemayehu’s late goal for Djurgardens offering little hope of a comeback.

Chelsea fans may recall their quarter-final against Legia Warsaw, where they also brought a three-goal lead home, and despite a loss at Stamford Bridge, they progressed comfortably.

The Blues are in fine form, buoyed by four consecutive wins, including a 3-1 triumph over Premier League champions Liverpool, boosting their push for a Champions League spot.

With a crucial trip to Newcastle United looming this weekend, Maresca will aim to navigate this second leg smoothly, focusing on their top-five position in the league.

The first leg’s result and Chelsea’s record of three straight home wins against Swedish teams without conceding suggest they’ll advance with ease.

Like Legia Warsaw before their trip to Stamford Bridge, Djurgården will aim to deliver a strong performance—and perhaps even pull off a surprise result—after their heavy defeat at home last week.

However, under manager Jani Honkavaara, the primary focus will be turning around their sluggish start to the Allsvenskan season, which has been partly disrupted by their European commitments.

No Swedish club has ever won 11 matches in a single European campaign, and while Djurgården could achieve that feat with a victory here, Honkavaara’s immediate priority will be climbing out of the bottom half of the domestic table.

Their recent 1-1 draw with AIK extended a worrying trend—they have failed to win any of their three league games following European fixtures since the season began in March. With just eight points from a possible 18 so far, Djurgården’s domestic struggles demand urgent attention.