Chelsea host Servette at Stamford Bridge in the Europa Conference League Playoffs on Thursday evening. It’s the first leg and Chelsea will hope to get off to a winning start as clear favourites.
Enzo Maresca’s men lost their opening Premier League clash to Manchester City but will fancy their chances against the Swiss outfit. The Chelsea manager might make changes from the City defeat, giving youngsters a chance to impress.
Chelsea have been solid on home soil
Chelsea finished 6th in the league last season, having five consecutive home wins to wrap up the campaign. They were formidable at Stamford Bridge after a sluggish start, so Servette know they’re in for a game. Chelsea lost just one of their last 13 home games in the league, so they’re unlikely to fall short.
It’s worth noting that Chelsea took points off Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and Manchester United at home. The Blues had a mixed pre-season, winning only one of their six friendlies, but the squad was still forming.
And despite the defeat to Man City this season, Chelsea will still feel this fixture is a winnable one. That being said, Servette won’t be a walkover based on their performances in the last year.
Servette are no slouches
Servette finished 3rd in the Swiss Super League – only champions Young Boys lost fewer games too. They currently sit 7th in the table this season, winning three of their first five outings, so a decent start.
Servette are coming off the back of a 7-1 Super Cup victory over Signal, so they’ll be full of confidence. That was their first win in five games, however, so there’s some vulnerability too.
Servette aren’t great away from home, failing to win two of their last three, so that might be a weakness. They’ll be more match fit than Chelsea due to playing more games, so time will tell if that’s a factor.
