Djurgarden take on the visitors Chelsea in the first leg of UEFA Conference League semifinals. The match will be played on Thursday, April 1st at 3Arena (Stockholm).
Djurgården managed to impress on the international stage unexpectedlyю DIF, like many capital city clubs, has a respectable domestic record — a dozen league titles and five domestic cups. However, they haven’t lifted a new trophy in nearly five years. In both 2023 and 2024, they finished just 4th in Allsvenskan. And this spring, their domestic form has been modest once again. That said, they’ve been exceptional in the UEFA Conference League. Starting all the way from the second qualifying round, they not only progressed to the group stage but collected a solid number of points there. More impressively, they eliminated two opponents in the knockout rounds. Both Pafos and Rapid Wien beat them in the first legs — but Djurgården responded with determined, comeback victories. The highlight was their dominant 3-1 away win over Rapid in Vienna. In the current Allsvenskan campaign, they’ve started gaining momentum, with back-to-back wins over Halmstad and Kalmar helping them climb the table. Their ability to turn around European ties suggests strong tactical adaptability and team spirit.
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Chelsea still fondly remember their recent Champions League triumph. But in 2023 they missed out on all European competitions, and Mauricio Pochettino only led them to sixth in the Premier League — which cost him his job before the season ended. The current manager, Enzo Maresca, knows very well that Todd Boehly expects his project to return to the Champions League quickly. Fortunately, finishing fifth this season may be enough — but competition is fierce. Even while rotating and giving minutes to less-used players like Mudryk, Chelsea have dominated the Conference League. They had a minor scare against Servette, trading wins in qualification, but did enough at home to go through comfortably. Since then, they’ve mostly cruised through matches — winning cleanly and often decisively. They lost 1-2 at home to Legia in April, but that came after a 3-0 thrashing of the Poles in Warsaw. Their Premier League form has improved recently as well, with wins over Newcastle and West Ham. With squad depth and European experience on their side, Chelsea enter this clash as firm favourites.
There’s nothing to say here — the clubs have never faced each other, not even in friendlies. The Blues will likely look to settle the tie early, even on the road. Back the visitors to win with a -1 handicap.
Prediction for the match: Chelsea to win with -1.0 handicap.
