Chelsea – Djurgarden

Chelsea may sacrifice an unnecessary game for the sake of the APL

On Thursday, 8 May, Chelsea will play at home against Djurgården. The first match ended with a 4-1 defeat of the Swedes. The Londoners have almost secured their passage to the final. There are no odds on Jurgården going through. Chelsea continue to demolish opponents in a modest tournament, using the reserve squad. Enzo Mareschi has a clear division. The coach only partially utilises the main performers in Conference League matches. In Sweden, despite the score, the match turned out to be not so simple. In defence, the Londoners acted relaxed. In particular, they allowed their opponents to create 1.39 xG chances. Of course, the decisive factor was individual skill. Jurgården in Sweden are now only in the middle of the table, but the championship in the North has just started. The country still adheres to the spring/autumn system. The club scored only two goals in the first five rounds. It is interesting that in all matches there was a bet on the total less. Chelsea had a gruelling encounter with Liverpool at the weekend, where they utilised all the leaders. Most likely, none of those who took the field on Sunday will not play in the Conference League. Chelsea have had similar situations before. The club beat Legia big away in the quarter-finals and then lost at home without motivation. The odds on the Poles were 15.00. Interestingly, bookmakers are not insured even now - they again give 15.00 on the guests. Jurgården will definitely be motivated. After all, the Swedes are rare guests in the semi-finals of European cups, and the victory will help the country in the UEFA coefficient table. Plus, the players will be pleased to score in London. Odds for the total have changed slightly. Now analysts are no longer expecting a hail of goals. As a basic one, only the total of three goals is offered. Jurgården is a low-scoring team. From the last ten matches only two matches had the basic total more. Chelsea have the opposite pattern: the under-total has been played once in six matches. Now it is quite possible to expect a boring meeting. Djurgården will not give up a draw. It will be a great success for Swedish football. Chelsea are already on the pitch in a key APL battle against Newcastle on 11 May, and then face Manchester United at home on the 16th. It is clear that the coach will protect the squad and the leaders. So a hail of goals is unlikely. The chances of Chelsea's opponent look overrated. Still, the squad will be much weaker than in Sweden, and Djurgården is not a hopeless opponent, especially against inexperienced opponents. We see a game for the total less with a chance of a sensation, as it was in the confrontation with Legia.