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

Real Betis take a narrow lead to Florence and Chelsea return to Stamford Bridge after a confident win in Stockholm as they bid to reach the Conference League final in Wrocław.

UEFA.com previews all the action as the semi-finals are settled on Thursday 8 May.

All kick-off times are 21:00 CET.

Fiorentina vs Real Betis (agg 1-2) 

Fiorentina will have to overcome a one-goal deficit to complete their quest for a third successive Conference League final after falling to Real Betis in Seville, Abdessamad Ezzalzouli’s early opener and Antony’s second-half stunner putting the hosts 2-0 up before captain Luca Ranieri pulled one back.

The Viola are nonetheless confident ahead of the home decider, believing that some of the fighting spirit shown in the first leg can aid them in the second. “Our team showed courage and a lot of personality,” affirmed coach Raffaele Palladino. His hope is they can show even more of those qualities at home, where they are undefeated this Conference League season.

Less encouragement comes from their winless streak against Spanish opposition through five European semi-final encounters (D1 W4), but Fiorentina will hope a milestone win can position them for Conference League final redemption, the Viola having been defeated in the previous two. “The tie is open and we have to keep believing,” concluded Palladino.

Betis enjoyed a victorious European semi-final debut thanks to a confident home display, but Ranieri’s rebuttal has kept their lead slim heading into the second leg. “They got through us very little but had their chance and took it,” said coach Manuel Pellegrini, who is hoping for a similarly assertive display on the road: “We’ll go to Florence not to sit on our goal but to take the game on again and try to win.”

That front-footed approach will please Brazilian winger Antony, who found the top corner with a sizzling strike on his weaker right foot for his third Conference League goal in seven appearances. The 25-year-old has two assists to go along with that, underlining the attacking inspiration he has offered Betis since completing a loan move from Manchester United in January.

Striker Cédric Bakambu is another who carries an attacking threat, the DR Congo international teeing-up the opener to earn a ninth goal involvement of the Conference League season (seven goals, two assists) a tally only bettered by Svit Sešlar of eliminated Celje. And with five clean sheets, as many as any other team, Betis will believe they can withstand pressure as well as pile it on.

Did you know: Betis have scored the first goal in 11 of their last 12 Conference League games.

Chelsea vs Djurgården (agg 4-1) 

A two-goal substitute appearance from Nicolas Jackson helped Chelsea to a 4-1 win in Stockholm, leaving the Blues well-placed to secure a place in the Conference League final in their debut season. Jadon Sancho and Noni Madueke put Chelsea in charge in the first half before Jackson struck twice in quick succession midway through the second, though Isak Alemayehu Mulugeta pulled one back for the hosts minutes later.

The attacking force of this Conference League season, Chelsea’s goal tally now stands at a competition-high 37, with Enzo Fernández and Sancho two of four players to have registered five or more assists.

Nonetheless, lessons from the quarter-final second legs have Enzo Maresca treading carefully, Chelsea having slipped to a 2-1 defeat at home to Legia Warszawa. “We cannot drop; we cannot relax, otherwise it gets complicated,” the Chelsea coach said. “We have done a good job, now we need to finish it at home.”

Djurgården overcame first-leg defeats to progress from the round of 16 and the quarter-finals, but it is more mountain than molehill for the Swedish side to climb as they bid to extend their record-breaking European campaign further.

“We had a good moment at the beginning of the second half but then Chelsea immediately showed their quality,” said coach Jani Honkavaara at full-time. Djurgården are not without talents of their own, manifest in the Keita Kosugi and Tobias Gulliksen stunners that helped them overcome SK Rapid 4-1 in their quarter-final second leg – a scoreline that can bring belief ahead of the second leg.

Isak Alemayehu Mulugeta’s 68th-minute header is another positive point, the 18-year-old scoring his first Djurgården goal five minutes into a substitute appearance. “I can’t wish for a better goal, in a semi-final against Chelsea,” the midfielder said before looking ahead to the second leg: “We will analyse this one and talk about what we can do better.”

Did you know: Djurgården have played 17 matches in UEFA competitions this season – a record for a Swedish club.

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 Wrocław, which is the third largest city in Poland and the main city in the region of Silesia ('Śląsk' in Polish).