Chelsea have too many advantages over Copenhagen to let this one slip. The Danes have been a middling team in this competition and lack the required quality to pose enough of a threat to turn this one around.
It's likely that Enzo Maresca will field a relatively strong lineup to finish the job, and we think they'll do that pretty comfortably. Chelsea 3-1 FC Copenhagen.
Chelsea take on FC Copenhagen in the second leg of their Conference League last 16 tie this week, hoping to finish off the job.
Chelsea claimed a 2-1 win in Denmark last week in what was a fairly poor game. Goals from Reece James and Enzo Fernandez gave the Blues a 2-0 lead before the home side pulled a goal back late on. The game was fairly low on quality and Chelsea were disappointing for the most part, so they'll hope to put on a show for their fans this time around.
Enzo Maresca's side are in a race to secure Champions League football, something that they desperately need from a financial point of view. Chelsea have been absent from the competition for a few seasons now and with how much money they've spent in recent years, it's imperative that they return to the competition.
There are currently worries around the club about the form of Cole Palmer, whose performances have been on a fairly consistent decline for a number of months now. Palmer is now nine games without a goal for Chelsea but more worryingly, his performances have left a lot to be desired.
It could be argued that Palmer's performances started to decline very early in the campaign - compared to last season - but much of that was masked by the fact that he still had a good goalscoring record, such is his talent to change games on a whim.
Should Palmer's struggles continue, questions will be asked, but for now, Chelsea need to progress to the last eight of this competition. Winning the Conference League is the minimum expectation for Chelsea this season and while they're the hot favourites, they can't take anything for granted.
Copenhagen are faced with the tough task of winning at Stamford Bridge to avoid an exit from the Conference League. The Danish side were similarly poor to Chelsea in the first leg, and while the deficit isn't a big one, they didn't demonstrate anywhere near enough quality to give the impression they have what it takes to turn this tie around.
The side from the Danish capital are in a neck-and-neck title race in the Superliga as they sit just one point behind league leaders Midtjylland in 2nd place. Copenhagen have won two of the last three Superliha titles and after losing the league last season, they're hoping to reclaim their throne this season.
Copenhagen haven't faced anyone close to the quality of Chelsea in this competition this season, and with the team having finished 18th in the group phase with just 8 points from 6 games, it feels clear that they're not going to be up to the task of posing a serious challenge to Chelsea here.
This game will be televised live to all subscribed UK viewers on TNT Sports 4.
Chelsea Team News:
The Blues are still missing Noni Madueke, Nicolas Jackson, Malo Gusto and Marc Guiu.
Reece James missed the game at the weekend, so he's a major doubt for this one.
Predicted lineup: Sanchez; Chalobah, Tosin, Badiashile, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Sancho, Palmer, George; Nkunku.
Copenhagen Team News:
The Danish side are set to be without Andreas Cornelius, Kevin Diks and Jordan Larsson.
Teenager Roony Bardghji also remains a doubt, as he attempts to make his return from a knee injury.
Predicted lineup: Ramaj; Huescas, Pereira, Garananga, Meling; Clem, Froholdt; Gocholeishvili, Elyounoussi, Achouri; Chiakha.
Chelsea:
Chelsea's form is decent, as they come into this game with three wins and two losses from their last five. Most recently, a goal from Marc Cucurella saw the Blues beat Leicester City 1-0, which followed the win in Denmark last week.
Before that, goals from Nkunku, Neto, Colwill and Cucurella produced a 4-0 win over Southampton, a result that followed a 2-1 loss at Aston Villa and a 3-0 defeat away at Brighton.
FC Copenhagen:
FC Copenhagen are fairly out of form, with two wins, two draws and one loss from their last five. At the weekend, Copenhagen drew 1-1 with SonderjyskE, with the goal coming from Claesson.
Prior to that, Copenhagen lost 1-2 to Chelsea, a result that was preceded by a 0-0 draw with AaB, a 1-0 win over Midtjylland, where Mattsson scored the goal, and a 3-1 win away at Heidenheim, courtesy of Chiakha, Diks and Huescas.
Premier League | Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | GD | PTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 |  Nottm Forest | 28 | 15 | 6 | 7 | +12 | 51 | |
| 4 |  Chelsea | 28 | 14 | 7 | 7 | +17 | 49 | |
| 5 |  Man City | 28 | 14 | 5 | 9 | +15 | 47 | |
| Last updated 12/03/2025 | ||||||||
Danish Superliga - Regular Season | Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | GD | PTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Midtjylland | 21 | 13 | 3 | 5 | +13 | 42 | |
| 2 |  København | 21 | 11 | 8 | 2 | +15 | 41 | |
| 3 |  AGF | 21 | 9 | 9 | 3 | +20 | 36 | |
| Last updated 12/03/2025 | ||||||||
