By Neel Shelat
Chelsea’s spotless record against Danish clubs
Thursday’s match at Stamford Bridge will be Chelsea’s 10th meeting with a Danish club, and they are yet to taste defeat against such opponents. The Blues got the better of Stævnet and FC Nordsjælland in each of their encounters, while this is the third time they have been drawn against Denmark’s most successful team in a continental Round of 16 tie.
Their previous meetings were, of course, in different competitions. Brian Laudrup scored the decisive goal in their Cup Winners’ Cup tie in 1998, while Nicolas Anelka’s brace separated the two teams in the 2010/11 UEFA Champions League season.
A clear route to the final for Chelsea
Having been eliminated from both domestic cup competitions, the UEFA Conference League is the only competition Chelsea can realistically hope to win this season. They should certainly be disappointed if they fail to do so, as most models give them significantly more than a one in two chance of lifting the trophy.
A big reason behind those high odds has to be their relatively clear route to the final. Of course, it would be unwise to take any opponent for granted in a European knockout, but all of Chelsea’s potential opponents until the final are not quite at the same level as them. Should they reach the quarter-finals, the Blues will face either Molde or Legia Warszawa. Thereafter, their potential semi-final opponents are Cypriot side Pafos, Swedish outfit Djurgården, Bosnian champions Borac Banja Luka and Rapid Wien of Austria. Meanwhile, stronger sides like Fiorentina, Real Betis and Vitória are on the other side of the bracket.
Will FC København switch formations again?
FC København switched to a three-centre-back system for just the second time this season in the first leg of this tie. Despite it being a home match for them, they kept their lowest share of possession in a match without red cards this term. Evidently, their plan was to try and contain Chelsea as far as possible, and it did work to a decent extent as they kept a clean sheet in the first half and only came away with a one-goal deficit in the end.
They now need to win to stay in the competition, so they may well have to stick to their trusted back four formation and risk a more open game in search of a goal or two.
Noteworthy absences for both sides
Both teams will be without some key players in this match. Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke are big misses in Chelsea’s attack, while Reece James and Malo Gusto are doubtful to start. The visitors will be without attacking starlet Roony Bardghji as well as Indonesian international Kevin Diks. Thomas Delaney, Andreas Cornelius and Lukas Lerager are some noteworthy doubts.
Prediction
It is quite tough to see Chelsea throwing away an aggregate lead at home, so they should be expected to see out the tie with relative comfort. They will take a 1-0.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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