Chelsea face unusual fate as Blues learn Europa Conference League draw

Chelsea players celebrate after Christopher Nkunku opened the scoring against Club America (Image: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC)

Chelsea are set to face either Braga or Servette in the UEFA Conference League play-off round. The draw was held at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland on Monday afternoon, setting up a two-legged battle for the Blues to reach the expanded league stage of the tournament.

Last season saw Chelsea finish sixth in the Premier League under Mauricio Pochettino, after spending much of the campaign in the middle of the table.

A late-season surge secured their place in European competition, marking their debut in a tournament that's only been running for three years.

Initially, it seemed Chelsea would be competing in the Europa League. However, Manchester United's FA Cup final victory over City and their absence from European football due to a seventh-place Premier League finish pushed the Blues into the Conference League.

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The upcoming season in the Conference League could prove advantageous for new head coach Enzo Maresca. With a somewhat oversized squad at his disposal in west London, the tournament could provide an opportunity for some of the club's younger players to gain valuable playing time.

The first leg of the play-off clash is scheduled for Thursday, August 22 at Stamford Bridge. The return leg will take place in either Portugal or Switzerland on Thursday, August 29.

Chelsea's fate in the upcoming season is set to be determined by the outcome of the match between Braga and Servette. Rather unusually, the Blues will actually face the losing team.

That's because this is a Europa League qualifying match where the victors progress to the Europa League play-off round while the defeated side falls into the Conference League play-off round.

Should they succeed, Chelsea will participate in the revamped Conference League format for the 2024/25 season. The most significant alteration is the transformation of the group stage into a single league stage consisting of 36 teams.

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Each team will compete against six different opponents (three at home, three away). The top eight teams will proceed directly to the round of 16, while those ranked ninth to 24th will battle it out in the knockout round play-offs.

The winners of these matches will advance to the last 16, after which the competition becomes a straight knockout.

Chelsea face unusual fate as Blues learn Europa Conference League draw

Chelsea face unusual fate as Blues learn Europa Conference League draw

Chelsea face unusual fate as Blues learn Europa Conference League draw

Chelsea face unusual fate as Blues learn Europa Conference League draw

Chelsea face unusual fate as Blues learn Europa Conference League draw