Europa Conference League, Semifinal, Second Leg, Thursday, 08.05.2025 at 21:00
Chelsea has one foot in the Conference League final – that’s certainly how you could describe it after a 4-1 win in the semi-final first leg. Where are the doubters who think it could still be a close call? Quite simply, they’re not there.
The Blues are up against one of the biggest underdogs in the entire competition, so my Chelsea Djurgarden prediction is for a match between David and Goliath. But the underdog knows that it has nothing to lose now.
I’m actually showing my optimistic side here, as I still have the Londoners’ quarter-final against Legia Warsaw in mind. In that game, everything was already clear after the first leg, so they promptly let it slip in the second game and suffered a defeat.
Since Chelsea has to defend a Champions League spot in the league, it could well be that they will once again conserve their energy in the current Conference League game. True to the motto: “Just jump as high as you absolutely have to.”
So we could be in for a game that is not as one-sided as we might think at first glance. The visitors from Sweden will have a chance to show what they can do – and Chelsea can afford to lose by a goal or two.
The bookmakers’ prediction
Although Chelsea no longer needs to win and already took it easy against Legia in the first leg, the odds at our bookmaker with PayPal deposits are clear. A win for the Londoners therefore only manages odds of 1.15.
On the other hand, the Djurgarden players know that their only chance is that they have none. A win odds of 25.0 is not uncommon, and we don’t even need to discuss whether they will advance.
A draw is therefore also quite high on the list. You can expect an average of 8.25, but I must also note here that Chelsea has not drawn a single game in the current competition, while Djurgarden has drawn once.
AI prediction Chelsea vs Djurgarden: ChatGPT’s prediction
The AI doesn’t have much time left to correctly predict the upcoming Conference League champion. We have again been presented with three interesting ChatGPT bets for this return leg between Chelsea and Djurgarden.
One of them says: Chelsea will win with a handicap of -3. I can quickly draw a conclusion here, because I’m basically betting on the opposite: I don’t think the Blues will overexert themselves unnecessarily and win by a landslide.
The bet “Over 3.5 goals,” which was absolutely correct in the first leg, also appears. I’m unsure here because Chelsea doesn’t have to do anything, and Djurgarden isn’t strong on offense. Therefore, I would be rather cautious.
A half-time lead for London – what’s my take on this tip? Six draws, five draws, at least Chelsea have never been behind after 45 minutes. The Swedes have managed not to fall behind in their last four away games in the competition. So here’s the deal: possible, but not a sure thing.
Analysis: Chelsea vs Djurgarden
Chelsea FC were the big favorites for the final from the start – now the Blues have already reached the final with at least one and a half legs. They took a 4-1 lead in the first leg of the semi-final against Djurgarden.
Jadon Sancho, Noni Madueke, and Nicolas Jackson (with two goals) scored the goals. Curiously, Chelsea wasn’t that dominant, with 12 shots to 16 and 7 shots on goal to 5.
In the end, of course, it didn’t matter to the Londoners, as their lead should provide plenty of reassurance. Chelsea had already set themselves up perfectly in the quarter-finals, winning 3-0 away at Legia Warsaw and then allowing themselves to lose 2-1 in the return leg.
It was their first and only defeat in the entire competition, as the team from the English capital had no problems during the group stage. That was to be expected, given the weaker opponents.
Chelsea had faced FC Noah, Heidenheim, Gent, Panathinaikos, Astana, and Shamrock Rovers, before beating FC Copenhagen 2-1 and 1-0 in the round of 16.
Odds analysis
Djurgarden has nothing to lose on Thursday. For the players, it will probably be the biggest away game of their careers so far. I’m going to take a chance here, because Chelsea has nothing to lose, and say: the underdog will strike first! If you want to take a chance on this tip, Interwetten is offering odds of 4.90.
Not to be overlooked at this bookmaker is the $11 free bet available with the code “CLEL.” This is available to both new and existing customers. At the same time, I have “Double Chance X2” in mind.
With odds of 2.60, the risk is limited. And if I HAD to choose a result bet, I would go for a very narrow 2-1 win for the Blues. The odds at Betano are 10.75.
Chelsea vs. Djurgarden: The Blues need to pace themselves
The two-time Europa League champions (2013 and 2019) know that they have been head and shoulders above all their previous opponents. But the Blues still have a domestic goal to achieve this season.
The battle for the top five places that lead to the Champions League is incredibly exciting. Chelsea still have to face two direct rivals in Newcastle and Nottingham, and the match against Manchester United is also likely to be a tough one.
Well, the Blues won 3-1 against Liverpool a few days ago. I don’t want to detract from the victory, but I have to mention that the Reds had already secured the title.
Chelsea have played nine games against Swedish teams so far, with six wins and three draws, which is not a bad record. For Djurgarden, the trip to London is likely to be something truly historic.
Djurgarden can risk everything
The small club from Sweden is in an international semi-final for the first time in its history, which is an achievement in itself. Djurgarden also owes its place in the last four to a bit of luck.
In the quarterfinals against Rapid Vienna, they needed extra time in the end, with a 0-1 deficit followed by a 4-1 win after extra time. They also suffered a defeat in the round of 16 against FC Pafos, but came back from a 0-1 deficit to win 3-0.
In this respect, they lost the first leg three times in the knockout stages – but Pafos and Rapid Vienna are of course not in the same league as Chelsea. The four wins in the preliminary round came against Panathinaikos, The New Saints, Vikingur, and Legia Warsaw.
It doesn’t really help me much to look at the results from the domestic league, because the opponents there are obviously not at Chelsea’s level. Nevertheless, I don’t want to hide the fact that they have only scored three goals in six games (the season has only just begun).
So you can of course bet that Djurgarden won’t score on Thursday, with odds of 1.70 at Betano. On the other hand, Chelsea could take it easy – and a goal from the underdogs would bring odds of 2.05.
My Chelsea Djurgarden tip:
Chelsea has everything under control – the Conference League has not been a stumbling block so far. Sure, the opponents are not at the same level as the Blues, but there have been enough big names in the past who have failed in the Conference League.
Now, however, it is important to join forces. There are still very important and difficult tasks ahead in the Premier League, and Chelsea is fighting for the Champions League. As we all know, Djurgarden has nothing to lose.
So I can well imagine that the Londoners won’t go all out, similar to the quarter-final second leg against Legia Warsaw. My tip is therefore:
I’m sending Djurgarden into the race with a 3-0 handicap!
