Chelsea begin their first campaign in the European Conference League at Stamford Bridge on Thursday with the first leg of their play-off round against Servette of the Swiss Super League.
The Blues are placed in this festival after Manchester United got a fantastic win, securing a UEFA Europa League position by winning the FA Cup, beating city rivals and Premier League champions Man City 1-0 in the final at Wembley.
Servette, who qualified for the round of 16 of the Conference League last season, came close to advancing to the Europa League, losing 2-1 to Braga in the third qualifying round.
The second leg of the play-offs will take place in Geneva on Thursday 29 August. The winner will advance to the new phase of the 36-team championship, where they will face six other opponents. The 8 most sensible will automatically advance to the knockout phases. , while those who finish between 9th and 24th position will face each other in the eliminatory play-offs.
The Sporting News takes a look at the key highlights of this game, adding how to watch, kick-off times and the latest lineup news.
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This game is not available for live television broadcast in Australia.
The only way fans can watch the match around the world is live through Chelsea’s official app, paying a small fee.
Stan Sport is where fans can watch all matches in UEFA competitions, including the Champions League, Conference League, Youth League and Europa League, as well as the qualifying rounds.
If you can’t watch the game live on your domain or if you’re traveling abroad, you can use a virtual personal network (VPN). VPNs offer a secure and personal online connection, allowing you to bypass geo-restrictions to access. your favorite streaming installations from any device, anywhere in the world.
WATCH FROM ANYWHERE: Sign up for NordVPN (30-day moneyback guarantee)
This UEFA Europa Conference League clash will take place at Stamford Bridge in London, England, kicking off on Thursday 22 August at 20:00 local time (BST).
This is how this time changes to Australian time zones:
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Chelsea are expected to make several adjustments to the lost lineup to Manchester City, with Reece James most likely sidelined with a hamstring injury. Marc Cucurella may be only a slight fear after being substituted in the final minutes of the defeat to Man City due to a possible knee problem.
Blues manager Enzo Maresca has also ruled out Raheem Sterling, Wesley Fofana and Ben Chilwell from his squad to face Servette in the Europa Conference League play-offs. The former seeks to explain his long career at the club after being knocked out of the competition. team. for their first attack of the season.
Filip Jorgensen, Pedro Neto, Tosin Adarabioyo and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall are all vying for potential first starts, while young talents such as Tyrique George will be eager to make an appearance.
Cole Palmer, who made 25 appearances for Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the 2023/24 season, has scored 19 goals, including five in cup games.
Chelsea imaginable XI (4-2-3-1, from right to left): Jorgensen (GK) – Gusto, Badiashile, Veiga, Cucurella – Fernández, Lavia – Palmer, Dewsbury-Hall, Neto – Guiu.
Injuries: James (biceps femoris), Cucurella (biceps femoris), Chilwell (disease), Fofana (unknown)
Suspensions: N/A
The visitors will not have the facilities of Victory Beniangba, but Servette manages the absence of the Nigerian striker very well. Over the summer, they bolstered their offense by signing Julian Von Moos, Sofyane Bouzamoucha and Usman Simbakol as free agents.
Chelsea fans may not recognize many names in the Servette squad, but Swiss foreigner Dereck Kutesa will race in to cause disruption from the flanks. Von Moos, fresh from a cup hat-trick against minnows Signal, adds firepower, while former young French foreigner Enzo Crivelli is expected to lead the line.
Imaginable Servette XI (4-2-3-1, from right to left): Frick – Tsunemoto, Rouiller, Severin, Mazikou – Douline, Ondoua – Stevanovic, Antunes, Kutesa – Crivelli.
Injuries: Victoire Beniangba (foot)
Suspensions: N/A
Chelsea controlled ten shots against reigning champions Man City in their Premier League opener, and with an impressive nine-match unbeaten run at Stamford Bridge (with eight wins) going into this defeat, they have no difficulty sending their visitors into their own backyard.
It turns out that Les Bleus do the task without problems here, even if they make several adjustments to their team.
Prediction: Chelsea 3-0 Servette