In this article…
Copenhagen v Chelsea
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Kick Off: Thursday 6th March at 17:45
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Competition: Conference League
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What TV Channel: TNT Sports 4
Chelsea travel to Copenhagen for the first time since 2011 in the first leg of their round of 16 Conference League tie. Chelsea’s league campaign has unravelled following a period of inconsistent form, which is reflective of the young nature of Enzo Maresca’s side, who now find themselves battling for a Champions League finish after initially being discussed as potential title challengers.
They face up against a Copenhagen side who sit top of the Superligaen and saw off Heidenheim over two legs to reach this stage of the competition. Jacob Neestrup’s side have recent experience in European competition in recent years, including facing off against both Manchester clubs in the Champions League last campaign. Copenhagen finished 18th in the league phase of the competition, winning just two of their six games.
⭐ Copenhagen v Chelsea Best Bet
Christopher Nkunku has shown his best form for Chelsea in this competition, Enzo Maresca has repeatedly suggested that he doesn’t see Nkunku as an out and out striker but appears to relax that position in this competition with a clear gap in quality between Chelsea and the other sides.
Nkunku has scored five goals across his five appearances in the Conference League this season and actually has a decent goals record across the board. Despite some underwhelming performances from the former RB Leipzig man, he’s scored 14 goals across his 34 appearances for the Blues this season, with half of them coming in this competition.
Chelsea’s goalscoring power in this competition is quite impressive; they’ve scored 26 goals across their six games in the tournament (4.33 per game), which is a record that suggests that they can provide service to Nkunku to continue his excellent record in this competition for Chelsea this season. Nkunku scored and provided an assist in Chelsea’s 4-0 win over Southampton last time out.
👕 Copenhagen v Chelsea Predicted XI
🔍 Copenhagen v Chelsea Players to Watch
⚪ Kevin Diks
Diks has received more cards than any other player in Copenhagen’s squad in the Conference League this season with three to his name. Diks is averaging 1.23 fouls committed per 90 in the competition this campaign and will face a tough challenge on that side of the pitch up against Christopher Nkunku.
Nkunku is averaging 1.40 fouls won per 90 across his five appearances in the Conference League this season, suggesting that he will be a difficult task for Diks to manage, possibly resulting in him picking up his fourth caution of the campaign in the Conference League.
🔵 Pedro Neto
In the absence of Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu due to injury, Enzo Maresca has played Pedro Neto through the middle in recent weeks and the early signs look promising. Neto’s strength is his speed and dynamism, something we weren’t really seeing in Enzo Maresca’s system as he likes his wide players to hug the touchline.
He provided an assist against Aston Villa before registering a goal and an assist against Southampton, playing as a striker and adding an extra element to Chelsea’s attack. Nkunku has previously been used through the middle, but Maresca has been adamant in his press conferences that he doesn’t see Nkunku as a striker. This position change partnered with the positive performances we’re seeing from Neto in recent weeks opens the door for the 24-year-old to find the back of the net here.
📂 Copenhagen v Chelsea Cheat Sheet
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💻 Copenhagen v Chelsea Form and Tactics
Copenhagen are expected to line up in a 4-2-3-1 shape. Jacob Neestrup likes his side to be on the front foot at home, as evidenced by the fact that they’re unbeaten on home turf domestically this season, winning seven of their 10 assignments and scoring 21 goals in the process. This record is a little less convincing in the Conference League, with just one win from their four home games in the competition.
Copenhagen finished outside of the automatic places in the league phase of the competition and had to see off Heidenheim over two legs to reach this stage of the tournament. They lost the first leg 2-1 at home before launching a comeback in Germany to see off Heidenheim with a 3-1 victory. When it comes to players that can hurt Chelsea in this Copenhagen side, young striker Amin Chiakha has stood out in the Conference League this campaign. The 18-year-old has scored four goals across his five appearances in the competition, including a crucial goal against Heidenheim.
Chelsea’s inconsistency domestically can make them a tough side to back, you never quite know which version of Enzo Maresca’s side is going to turn up, which is reflective of the young makeup of the squad. However, they’ve been dominant when it comes to the Conference League, easily navigating their way through the league phase with six wins and 26 goals scored.
Chelsea line up in a 4-2-3-1 shape on paper, but this rarely stays this rigid when on the pitch. Rotation is expected from Enzo Maresca, with out-of-form stars like Cole Palmer clearly needing a rest. They should dominate the majority of the ball as they have done throughout the competition (66.2%), but what is also notable is that Chelsea have only kept two clean sheets in the Conference League this season.
This suggests that whilst Chelsea have the attacking ability to see off the majority of the sides in the competition, they still give their opponents chances with the insecurity in the Chelsea backline at the moment and no clear answer to the goalkeeping headache plaguing Enzo Maresca.
🏁 Copenhagen v Chelsea Ref Watch
- Referee – Georgi Kabakov
| Average Cards (Y / R) | 4.88 / 0.00 |
| Fouls Given | 20.38 |
| Penalties | 0.00 |
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