Every Premier League club has now kicked off their season and we’ve begun to get an idea on how they will do in the 2024/25 campaign, but one club that still remains a bit of a mystery is Chelsea. Their opening fixture was against champions Manchester City and most clubs would lose that game, so it was no surprise that the citizens returned to the Etihad with all three points.
Chelsea’s European campaign is set to begin at Stamford Bridge on Thursday as they host Swiss side Servette in the UEFA Europa Conference League Play-off first leg. The winner over both legs will qualify for the group stage.
Despite losing their opening game of the season, I don’t think anyone will be expecting another loss here. Chelsea have European pedigree, having won both the Champions League and the Europa League twice since 2010. They have never competed in the Conference League before, but the level of opponents will be weaker than both of the other two European leagues.
With such a big squad, Enzo Maresca will be able to rotate a number of players which will allow him to keep his main core of players fit for their trip to Wolves next Sunday. Last season’s poor performances should not continue into this campaign with the quality of players that they have, especially against a side like Servette who have only made it into the main phase of a European competition once since 2004 when they reached the Europa League group stage last season.
Servette’s league season started off strongly in Switzerland, with three wins, but since then they have lost twice in the league as well as in their Europa League qualifier against Braga. In those four games, they have an aggregate score of 2-11. Their most recent game may have pushed them back on form, as they beat Signal FC 7-1 in the Swiss Cup. Despite this positive result, I see nothing but a negative as they face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Thursday.
Our team of experts have decided that the best tip for this game is for Chelsea to win to nil. With 10/11 odds on Coral, a £10 bet could see potential returns of £19.09.
Chelsea vs Servette will kick off at 8pm BST on Thursday 22nd August. The match is available to watch in the UK on TNT Sports.
Chelsea: D. Petrovic, M. Gusto, B. Badiashile, T. Adarabioyo, M. Cucurella, R. Lavia, K. Dewsbury-Hall, N. Madueke, C. Palmer, P. Neto, M. Guiu
Servette: J. Frick, K. Tsunemoto, S. Rouiller, Y. Severin, B. Mazikou, D. Douline, G. Ondoua. D. Kutesa, A. Antunes, T. Cognat, E. Crivelli
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