CHELSEA are ed-hot favourites for UEFA Conference League glory this term but they'll need to brave a fiery atmosphere in Warsaw for the first leg of their quarter-final clash with Legia.
The Blues have led the market for winning the tournament since before a ball was kicked and Enzo Maresca's men have lived up that status so far, winning nine of their 10 games so far.
FC Copenhagen were seen off without much fuss in the last 16, with two bets landing for Slips Tips as they beat the Danes 1-0 in London to seal a 3-1 aggregate victory.
Maresca has largely used the Conference League to give fringe players a chance, with Chelsea also chasing a top-four finish in the Premier League. But he might be tempted to field stronger sides with the finishing line in sight as he bids to end his first season at the helm with a trophy.
Legia don't have the same European pedigree as the Copenhagen but the Poles deserve respect after La Liga giants Real Betis in the group stage.
They also saw off Molde in the last 16 but Legia Warsaw's domestic form has been poor, with Goncalo Feio's side sitting fifth in the Polish top flight, 11 points off the title pace.
It would be a major surprise if they knocked Chelsea out and a first-leg win on home soil in front of a fired-up crowd will be crucial to their hopes of reaching the semis.
How the bookies view it: Poles apart
Legia Warsaw have been written off for this tie, with the Poles 4/1 at BoyleSports for a win on the night and 15/2 to qualify. Chelsea are a tiny 1/16 to reach the semis and 8/15 for a first-leg win. The draw in Warsaw pays 14/5.
Head to head: Legia's home comfort
These sides have never faced off in Europe before but Legia have a good home record against English teams. They've beaten Aston Villa, Leicester City and Blackburn in Warsaw, with their only loss on home turf coming to Manchester United in 1991.
Players to watch: Cole's fresh to impress
Cole Palmer started on the bench for the weekend draw with Brentford after only returning from injury a few days before in the win over Spurs. The playmaker should come back in for this one and he's 5/4 at BoyleSports for anytime scorer.
Marc Gual has netted seven times for Legia Warsaw in Europe this season and should be the biggest threat to the Blues. The Spaniard is 10/3 for another goal and that looks a bit overpriced based on his stats this season.
Probable line-ups
Legia are without captain Artur Jędrzejczyk after he was sent off at the end of the clash with Molde. Defender Jan Ziolkowski is also banned after picking up too many yellow cards.
Wesley Fofana, Omari Kellyman and Marc Guiu remain crocked for Chelsea while midfielder Romeo Lavia is ineligble.
Legia Warsaw: Tobiasz, Kapuadi, Wszolek, Vinagre, Pankov, Augustyniak, Elitim, Morishita, Kapustka, Chodyna, Gual.
Chelsea: Sanche, Adarabioyo, Cucurella, Chalobah, James, Fernandez, Palmer, Caicedo, Madueke, Neto, Jackson.
Anything else catch the eye?
Chelsea have been keeping things tight of late, with just one goal conceded in their last five games. They've only scored three times during that run so betting against a lot of goals could pay off tonight.
Under 2.5 strikes pays 11/10 with BoyleSports while a Chelsea win with under 3.5 goals is priced at a decent 7/5 by the same firm.
There should be a hostile atmopshere and that could lead to a few tackles flying in. Legia's last Euro clash with Molde saw six yellows and two reds so try betting on a busy night for the officials.
Over 4.5 cards pays 26/25 at Unibet and Legia midfielder Rafal Augustyniak is 19/10 at Ladbrokes to pick up his sixth card of the season.
This UEFA Europa League Conference match between Legia Warsaw and Chelsea will be played on and kick off at 17:45. Check below for our tipsters best Legia Warsaw vs Chelsea prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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