Chelsea’s Conference League Play-Off Fate Revealed
- Chelsea to face either Braga or Servette in the Conference League play-offs
- First leg to take place at Stamford Bridge on August 22, with the second leg a week later
- Blues begin their Premier League campaign against Manchester City on August 18
Chelsea will face a challenging Conference League play-off tie against SC Braga, should the Portuguese side overcome European minnows Servette. Enzo Maresca’s team will participate in Europe’s third-tier competition this season after finishing sixth in the Premier League, while Manchester United, who came eighth, won the FA Cup.
The Blues have not had a smooth pre-season under their new boss, and a clash against Braga, who finished fourth behind Portugal’s big three last term, could prove uncomfortable. However, Daniel Sousa’s men are expected to get past the Swiss side in the third qualifying round and avoid the English heavyweights.
The play-off round fixtures are set to take place on August 22 and 29, with the first leg at Stamford Bridge ahead of the return fixture a week later. Chelsea open their Premier League campaign against Manchester City on August 18 before travelling to Molineux to face Wolves on August 25.
Enzo Maresca will get his first taste of European as Chelsea manager at Stamford Bridge on August 22
This week, defender Malo Gusto insisted that the team will take the competition seriously in an effort to end their three-year trophy drought. ‘It is better than nothing but we have to take it step by step,’ he said. ‘We are young. The Conference League can be nice for us to know how the European cup is. We have a good group with a lot of players and more matches this season. It is going to be nice to build something and put Chelsea where we have to be.
‘We have to win something this season, it is very important. That is the objective. The Conference League, even the Premier League, or the cups. It is important to win trophies. To become better, it is important to the group.’
Gusto is also excited about Maresca’s tactical vision for full-backs, which is taking him back to the position he once played in his youth – a midfielder. Gusto has been inverting while playing on Chelsea’s pre-season tour, both from the right and the left. Some supporters wondered how the 21-year-old and Reece James would both fit into Maresca’s team.