Chelsea could be set to hit a new low by having to face a pub team from Gibraltar in the UEFA Europa Conference League next season.
Despite enduring an underwhelming 2023/24 campaign, the Blues managed to secure European football with a sixth-placed finish in the Premier League. They hit a good run of form towards the end of the season to force Newcastle to settle for seventh.
With plenty of talent at their disposal, Chelsea are one of the favourites to win the Conference League, along with the likes of Serie A side Fiorentina and Ligue 1 outfit Lens.
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With lesser outfits also bidding for glory in the competition, Enzo Maresca will be hoping to give some of his fringe stars the opportunity to shine during their midweek fixtures – especially if drawn against some of the lowest ranked teams.
In what is something of a comedown in comparison to Chelsea’s high-flying days of battling it out with Barcelona and Real Madrid, Chelsea could face a club founded from a bar in Gibraltar next season – Bruno’s Magpies.
The team, founded in 2013 by a group of friends who all drank at Bruno’s bar in Gibraltar, reached the second round of qualifying for the Europa Conference League on Thursday night following their victory over Irish club Derry City.
Bruno’s Magpies took a 2-0 lead into the second leg of their tie but were quickly pegged back to 2-2 on aggregate by Derry in the first half. The former Irish champions looked set to build on their early momentum and book their spot in the next round but couldn’t find a third goal.
Evan De Haro then wrote his name into the history books of Bruno’s Magpies by bagging the winner in extra time, setting his side up for a clash with Copenhagen in the next round.
There is a long way to go for Bruno’s Magpies to compete in the Europa Conference League, but the Gibraltar side will be hoping that their fairytale run does not draw to a close in Denmark.
Chelsea may be hoping that some of the weaker teams, such as Bruno’s Magpies, manage to reach the competition itself. That's because it would mean they can rotate their ranks while still being confident of winning matches.
