Chelseavs.Legia

Enzo Maresca's side lead 3-0 following their trip to the Polish capital last week, further solidifying their tag as huge favourites to win this competition next month.

Match preview

An utterly dominant display in Warsaw last Thursday means Chelsea are virtually assured of their place in the semi-finals, barring the most extraordinary comeback in UEFA-competition history.

Noni Madueke netted twice for the Blues, after Tyrique George had opened the scoring for Maresca's side early in the second half, and amassing an xG above four means Chelsea could have won by even more goals.

Rapid Vienna's win away to Djurgarden last week means the Austrians look set to be Chelsea's opponents in the semi-finals, before a potential clash with Fiorentina or Real Betis in the final.

Chelsea are 15 from 15 when it comes to progressing in Europe after winning the first leg away from home, and this will be one of the most comfortable leads they have had in any of those previous ties.

Reaching the semi-finals is unlikely to bring harmony to the fanbase though, with the Chelsea faithful beginning to turn against Maresca and his style of play, especially after the 2-2 draw at home to Ipswich Town on Sunday.

That ended Chelsea's seven-game winning run at home, and it could have been even worse, with the Blues finding themselves 2-0 down at half time, while the dropped points saw them fall to sixth in the Premier League.

Champions League qualification is slipping through their fingers, and success in the Conference League will only grant them a spot in the Europa League, a potentially huge failure given the money that has been spent at the club over the last few years.

Legia's long wait for another European semi-final will go on after the humbling they received in the first leg, with their last final-four appearance on the continent coming all the way back in 1991 in the Cup Winners' Cup.

Any thoughts of the most unthinkable comeback are put to bed when looking at Legia's recent away form, as they have lost seven knockout games in a row in Europe.

Legia have never previously won in England, and have lost on both of their last two visits, so Goncalo Feio's side are set for a third straight Conference League away defeat.

Those two prior defeats against Molde and Djurgarden also saw Legia concede three goals in both outings, and a repeat could certainly be on the cards after the mismatch that was seen in the first leg.

Hopes of playing in Europe next season took a hit at the weekend too, as Feio's men were beaten at home to Jagiellonia Bialystok, meaning all of their focus will now be on the cup final against Pogon Szczecin at the start of May.

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Legia Warsaw Conference League form:

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Team News

Being in such a comfortable position means Maresca will surely ring the changes here, and the XI could look similar to the one that faced Astana during the league phase.

First-leg scorer George and Josh Acheampong are in line to start again, while there could also be room for the likes of Mathis Amougou, Shumaira Mheuka and Samuel Rak-Sakyi to start.

Among the first-team squad members who could feature, Reece James tops that list after being an unused sub at the weekend, while Benoit Badiashile, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Christopher Nkunku should also come in along with Filip Jorgensen between the sticks.

With this tie dead and buried, Feio picked a strong XI at the weekend against Jagiellonia, and he could even be tempted to rotate here with the cup final coming up in two weeks.

Jan Ziolkowski and Artur Jedrzejczyk are back from European suspensions, but the visitors are without many important attacking players, as Ilya Shkurin is unregistered, while Marc Gual and Bartosz Kapustka are heavy doubts.

Ruben Vinagre will make a return to England where he spent a good chunk of his early career, representing Wolves for three years, before a brief loan spell at Everton.

Chelsea possible starting lineup:

Jorgensen; Acheampong, Tosin, Badiashile, Rak-Sakyi; James, Dewsbury-Hall, Amougou; George, Nkunku, Mheuka

Legia Warsaw possible starting lineup:

Tobiasz; Wszolek, Ziolkowski, Jedrzejczyk, Ruben Vinagre; Goncalves, Augustyniak, Bichakhchyan; Chodyna, Pekhart, Urbanski

We say: Chelsea 3-0 Legia Warsaw

With Legia already down and out, Chelsea's kids should be given an opportunity to prove themselves in the first team, and that could encourage a positive performance, which may result in another handsome victory for Maresca's side.

Written by

Andrew Delaney

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