Football betting tips: Europa Conference League
1pt Both teams to score at 11/8 (Betfair)
BuildABet @ 6/1
- Both teams to score
- Djurgardens Goal handicap (+3.0)
- Tyrique George to score anytime
*All bets in 90mins
Europa Conference League favourites Chelsea have one foot in the final with a three-goal cushion over Djurgardens ahead of the return leg in London.
For the Stockholm side, the first leg was one of the biggest nights of their history and their first ever European semi-final. As for the Blues, the expectation has always been that they will walk this competition and at times their participation has felt like an obligation not an honour.
It makes this clash a paradox, especially against a backdrop of unrest at Stamford Bridge.
Things have turned sour for Enzo Maresca’s side.
In the first half of the campaign, the consensus in the Blues camp was they were not in a Premier League title race and their performances down the back nine have backed that up.
Chelsea were second at Christmas, now they are fifth having lost a third of their last 18 league games, they also went out of both domestic cup competitions with a whimper.
So, despite a promising start to the season, their only chance of silverware lies in the Europa Conference League.
What are the best bets?
At first glance, Djurgardens’ chances look slim.
They are 11th in the Allsvenskan after making a poor start to the campaign and 12/1 to win the match in 90 minutes with Sky Bet.
But the circumstances of this second leg are identical to Chelsea’s quarter-final clash with Legia Warsaw.
Legia Warsaw were 3-0 down at the half-way stage, they were 14/1 to win the return leg and pulled off a shock 2-1 win.
Maresca defied all expectations that evening by fielding an exceptionally strong side. With a top five spot in the Premier League up for grabs and Newcastle their next opponents domestically, I don’t expect the big hitters to feature on Thursday.
All the more reason for the visitors to be enthused.
Djurgårdens get one back! Alemayehu arrives at the back post to head into the back of the net to give the Swedish side some hope! ⚽️
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) May 1, 2025
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/q9Macy9OVc
Chelsea finished the first leg with Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson, Moises Caicedo and Jadon Sancho on the pitch and yet Djurgardens finished the game as the stronger side.
Isak Alemayehu grabbed a consolation but his side squandered another golden chance late on.
The Swedes racked up an xG of 1.39 that evening and showed they have enough to bloody the Blues' nose. At 11/8, backing BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE is worth a punt.
Chelsea have only kept one clean sheet across their last six games in all competitions and have conceded in eight of 13 games in this competition.
Team news
With an important trip to Newcastle on the horizon, Maresca should rotate on Thursday.
This will see the likes of Mathis Amougou, Tyrique George and Shumaira Mheuka come into the side.
Filip Jorgensen will get the nod in goal with Malo Gusto, Tosin Adarabioyo, Benoit Badiashile, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Jadon Sancho all expected to feature.
Romeo Lavia is not registered to play in this competition and Wesley Fofana, Marc Guiu and Christopher Nkunku are sidelined with injuries.
Predicted line-ups
Chelsea: Jorgensen; Acheampong, Badiashile, Tosin, Gusto; James, Amougou, Dewsbury-Hall; Sancho, Mheuka, George
Djurgardens: Rinne; Stahl, Larsson, Danielson, Kosugi; Finndell, Stensson, Gulliksen; Haarala, Nguen, Priske
Odds correct at 1600 BST (07/05/25)
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