UEFA Conference League semi-finals: What to look out for in the first legs

A place in the Conference League final in Wroclaw awaits the winners of two intriguing semi-final ties as Real Betis meet Fiorentina and Chelsea take on Djurgården.

UEFA.com previews all the action ahead of the first legs on Thursday 1 May.

All kick-off times are 21:00 CET.

Real Betis vs Fiorentina

Real Betis will contest their first European semi-final after prevailing against Jagiellonia in the quarter-finals. “We tried to control the game to complete our task, and we did it,” beamed coach Manuel Pellegrini after completing a 3-1 aggregate win with a 1-1 draw, “now we have to focus on fighting with Fiorentina to reach the final.”

Their opponents enter the tie as the more seasoned semi-final practitioner having reached – and progressed from – Conference League semi-finals in each of the past two seasons, but there are those within the Betis squad who also know what it takes.

Part of the West Ham side that defeated Fiorentina in the 2023 final, midfielder Pablo Fornals believes Betis are well-placed to succeed after overcoming a sluggish start in the competition. “As they always say, things are not how they start, but how they end, and let's hope they end with a beautiful finish,” the 29-year-old said.

Key to their chances will be forward Cédric Bakambu, the DR Congo international who has struck seven goals so far in this Conference League campaign, a number only bettered by Afimico Pululu of eliminated Jagiellonia.

Defeated finalists in the past two Conference League seasons, Fiorentina are determined to go all the way, starting with a semi-final victory over Betis. “We’d like to go one step further this time,” affirmed wing-back Fabiano Parisi after a tight quarter-final victory over Celje.

Sealed with a 2-2 draw at home, that 4-3 aggregate win tested the resilience and character of Raffaele Palladino’s side, with the Italian coach praising his players for proving their mettle. “We did well to react immediately and secure qualification despite suffering a bit,” he said after Moise Kean’s finish tempered Celje’s second-half fightback.

Further confidence can be drawn from the fantastic goalscoring form of Rolando Mandragora, who opened the scoring for his fifth goal in six Conference League outings. “It was an important goal, one that allows us to progress to the next round,” the 27-year-old said. “We’re enjoying this moment and, after that, we’ll think about what comes next.”

Did you know: Fiorentina have only won two of their 14 encounters with Spanish sides in UEFA competition (D4 L8), whereas Real Betis are undefeated in five European matches against Italian opposition (W3 D2).

Djurgården vs Chelsea

Like Betis, Djurgården are making their European semi-final debut. Opponents Chelsea have considerably more European pedigree, their honours including two titles in the UEFA Champions League and two in the UEFA Europa League, but a strong campaign has filled the hosts with confidence.

Just as they had done in the round of 16, the Swedish club overcame a first-leg defeat to progress from the quarter-finals, defeating SK Rapid 4-1 after extra time in Vienna.

The victory was shaped by moments of sublime quality, precision finishes from Keita Kosugi and Tobias Gulliksen forcing the additional period and then giving Djurgården an extra-time lead, but coach Jani Honkavaara was particularly impressed with how his players responded to the early dismissal of SK Rapid’s Mamadou Sangaré. “The red card at the beginning [threw us off our game] too, but we got our game in order,” the Finnish coach explained.

Full-back Kosugi, meanwhile, is already relishing the Chelsea challenge. “To play against Chelsea is going to be a big experience for me,” the Japan youth international said. “I have never played against such a team. It's going to be a tough game, but we can beat Chelsea.”

Chelsea sealed their place in the final four at Stamford Bridge, but the 2-1 second-leg defeat to Legia Warszawa has left a sour taste. “It’s a setback for us,” said coach Enzo Maresca, whose men had won all nine of their previous games in the Conference League proper.

The Blues travel to Stockholm with a point to prove as a result, but a return to winning ways will hardly be straightforward. “The reason they are here is because they are doing well,” Maresca said of Djurgården. “You cannot underestimate any team, which we haven’t done since the start.”

Scorer of the lone Chelsea goal on the night, full-back Marc Cucurella echoed his coach’s disappointment, but assured that Chelsea are in a strong position nonetheless. “The most important thing is we're in the semi-final and we're fighting to play in a European final,” the Spain international said.

The sparkling creative form of Jadon Sancho is another bright spot from the second leg, the winger following up his two-assist first-leg performance by setting up Cucurella's leveller. His total of five assists is only matched by semi-final opponent Tokmac Nguen and bettered by Celje's Svit Sešlar.

Did you know: Chelsea last reached a European semi-final during their victorious UEFA Champions League campaign in 2020/21.

When and where is the 2025 Conference League final?

(Sportsfile via Getty Images)

The 2025 UEFA Conference League final will be decided at Stadion Wrocław on Wednesday 28 May.

Completed in 2011, Stadion Wrocław staged three games as Poland co-hosted UEFA EURO 2012 with neighbours Ukraine, and continues to stage national team games. The venue lies to the northwest of Wroclaw, which is the third largest city in Poland and the main city in the region of Silesia ('Śląsk' in Polish).