Chelsea face an away trip for the first leg of their Europa Conference League quarter-final. They were less than convincing in the last round but a win over Legia Warszawa should be a given for the heavy tournament favourites.
By Alex Roberts
Legia have found some solace on the continent as they struggle domestically. They overturned a first-leg defeat against Molde thanks to a 2-0 home win last time out, but this one might be a step too far, however.
A chance to score some goals
It’s been a real Jekyll and Hyde season for Chelsea. In the first half, they were scoring goals for fun, the players had smiles on their faces, and Enzo Maresca was beloved as ‘we’ve got our Chelsea back’ was sung by the fans up and down the country.
A few months later, things aren’t quite as rosy. The football is dull and not even Cole Palmer can do anything about it. Chelsea have won three of their last five games across all competitions 1-0, drawing and losing the other two.
Maresca rested Palmer and Nicolas Jackson for the 0-0 draw against Brentford, then went to the press to say his plan ‘nearly worked’. The funny thing about something nearly working, is that it still didn’t. The game against Legia is a good chance to build some confidence in front of goal, let’s see if the Italian has a better plan this time out.
Luquinhas is a menace
Legia do have a few players that can do some damage to Chelsea, none more so than Brazilian winger/midfielder Luquinhas. He’s the Polish side’s Conference League top scorer with four goals (plus one in the qualifiers).
Surprisingly, he barely featured in the previous round against Molde, but he did come off the bench to score in the first-leg 3-2 defeat. Surely manager Gonçalo Feio can’t leave out their most potent attacking asset for their biggest game of the season!?
Capable of playing anywhere from the number eight position to left-wing, his versatility makes him a genuine threat to Chelsea, even if it will likely take the performance of a lifetime to beat them.
Christopher Nkunku is fighting for his future… if he wants it
When the Frenchman finally returned from his lengthy spell on the sidelines at the very end of last season, fans were convinced he was the missing piece to the puzzle. An impressive pre-season did little to change that mindset.
Unfortunately, it was pretty clear at the start of the season that Maresca didn’t fancy him. Nkunku was shoved behind Jackson in the pecking order, although he did shine in Europe, becoming Chelsea’s top scorer for a time.
Jackson picked up an injury at the start of the year and Nkunku was finally given his chance, he just hasn’t taken it. He very rarely makes the kind of runs his teammates need but most importantly, it doesn’t look like he cares to.
His future at the club is in serious doubt, now is the time to make a difference, unless, of course, he’s already got his heart set on a move.
Prediction
We reckon Chelsea will manage to score more than one goal tonight, but not much more. FotMob’s prediction is 2-0 to the visitors.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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