Chelsea vs Djurgården Conference League preview: where to watch, predicted line-ups, team news

Chelsea host Djurgården with a Conference League final place up for grabs in the second leg of their semi-final tie.

Where to watch the game on TV

Fans can find their local UEFA Conference League broadcast partner(s) here.

What do you need to know?

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca called for concentration from his charges in "finishing the job at home", despite his side's impressive showing in Sweden putting them on the verge of a third UEFA competition showpiece in six years. Citing the 2-1 home loss to Legia Warszawa in the second leg of their quarter-final tie, the Chelsea tactician warned that the celebratory mood must not open the door to complacency. "It's a good result, but we have the experience from the Legia Warszawa game, where we won 3-0 there and we struggled a little bit, so we need to be focused on the second leg."

Jani Honkavaara's Djurgården overturned first-leg deficits in the round of 16 and the last eight of this tournament to reach the club's first ever continental semi-final, but coming back from the 4-1 defeat inflicted by a Chelsea at their effortless attacking best might be a step too far for the Allsvenskan outfit. Honkavaara's rallying cry ahead of the "tough game" awaiting his players at Stamford Bridge was for them to "be there with our chin up; be proud of what we have done and put in our best effort".

Possible line-ups

Chelsea: Jörgensen; Acheampong, Badiashile, Adarabioyo, Gusto; James, Dewsbury-Hall; Rak-Sakyi, Palmer, Sancho; George
Out: D. Fofana (knee), Guiu (hamstring), W. Fofana (hamstring), Anselmino (hamstring), Kellyman (hamstring)

Djurgården: Rinne; Tenho, Une, Danielson, Kosugi; Finndell, Stensson, Gulliksen; Haarala, Nguen; Priske
Out: Aslund (foot), Ekdal (hamstring), Schüller (hamstring), Säfqvist (elbow), Žugelj (foot), Johansson (knee)

Form guide

Chelsea

Form: WWWWLD
Latest: Chelsea 3-1 Liverpool, Premier League, 04/05

Djurgården

Form: DLWDWL
Latest: Djurgården 1-1 AIK, Swedish First Division, 04/05

Form includes all competitive games in the 2024/25 season; the most recent result is listed first. For statistical purposes, penalty shoot-outs do not count towards results.

Expert prediction

Joe Terry, match reporter: Chelsea will understandably believe they have one foot in the final after the 4-1 win in the first leg. Nevertheless, Djurgården showed in that game that they have the tools to trouble the Blues, so Maresca must ward off any signs of complacency to avoid a repeat of the Legia Warszawa second leg. With important domestic fixtures to come and either Real Betis or Fiorentina in the final, Chelsea's end of season is best served by a worry-free display on Thursday.

What the coaches and players say

Enzo Maresca, Chelsea coach: "For me, winning a trophy this season - and the Conference League trophy - is a statement that you can say: Chelsea are back. From there, it's a good starting point to building the winning mentality and winning trophies."

Filip Jörgensen, Chelsea goalkeeper: "We are taking this as seriously as any other game. None of us think it is done yet, there are 90 minutes left and we're going to give our all. It would be very important to win this competition. Not many people have European titles to their name."

Jani Honkavaara, Djurgården coach: "[The first leg] was a tough game; I think we did reasonably well. I’m quite happy with the performance and proud of the players. Our team have played big games already; it's a Premier League team with great quality but we just have to focus on playing a good game."