
Chelsea and FC Copenhagen reconvene for the second leg of their Europa Conference League last-16 tie at Stamford Bridge on Thursday night.
The Blues are in the box seat to progress to the last-eight after claiming a 2-1 win in the Danish capital in last week’s first leg.
The pre-tournament favourites will now be expected to finish the job when they welcome Copenhagen to West London for this week's return match.
Enzo Maresca’s men will come into this clash off the back of a narrow 1-0 win over Leicester in the Premier League on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Copenhagen’s preparations for this week’s second leg were far from ideal after being held to a 1-1 draw at home to SonderjyskE.
Consequently, Jacob Neestrup’s side have been leapfrogged at the top of the Danish Superliga by FC Midtjylland .
How the bookies view it: Blues big favourites
Chelsea – who have won each of their seven Europa Conference League matches this season – are understandable short-priced 1/3 favourites on Boylesports. Another Blues success alongside under 4.5 goals will bolster the odds to 4/5 on Boylesports.
Only a win will do for Copenhagen but that outcome is considered unlikely at 7/1 on Boylesports, while the draw is also deemed improbable 15/4 with the same bookmaker.
Head to head: Chelsea in charge
Following last week’s meeting in Denmark, Chelsea and FC Copenhagen have now crossed paths three times on the continent, with the Blues chalking up two victories. However, it’s worth noting that the previous meeting at Stamford Bridge ended all square.
Players to watch: Nkunku to net?
Christopher Nkunku has saved his best form for the Europa Conference League this season, scoring five goals and registering three assists across six appearances in the competition to date. As such, the Chelsea forward stands to register a goal involvement here at 4/5 on Bet 365.
Gabriel Pereira‘s goal in last week’s first leg provided FC Copenhagen with a lifeline. The Brazilian centre-half is as big as 18/1 on Bet 365 to make the net bulge at Stamford Bridge on Thursday night.
Predicted line-ups
With one eye on Sunday’s trip across the capital to take on London rivals Arsenal, Chelsea boss Maresca could be tempted to shuffle his pack on Thursday night.
As was the case last week, FC Copenhagen will again be unable to call upon the services of injured attacking duo Andreas Cornelius and Jordan Larsson.
Chelsea: Sanchez; Chalobah, Tosin, Badiashile, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Sancho, Palmer, George; Nkunku
FC Copenhagen: Ramaj; Huescas, Pereira, Garananga, Meling; Clem, Froholdt; Gocholeishvili, Elyounoussi, Achouri; Chiakha
Anything else catch the eye?
A minimum of three corners from FC Copenhagen looks worthy of support at 4/5 with Boylesports.
Given the dynamics of the tie, the Danish giants will have to throw caution to the wind at some point on Thursday night.
What's more, the likes of Gent, FC Noah and Shamrock Rovers have all earned three or more flag-kicks on their respective visits to Stamford Bridge this season, suggesting Copenhagen can follow suit.
This UEFA Europa League match between Chelsea and FC Copenhagen will be played on and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Chelsea vs FC Copenhagen prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.