CONFIRMED: Chelsea draw Copenhagen in Conference League knockout round | OneFootball

Chelsea’s cruise through the Conference League group stage was so easy, and the last game was so long ago, that the whole competition has been rather forgotten by plenty of fans in recent weeks.

There’s so much to worry about – injuries, a disappointing January transfer window, pressure on Enzo Maresca, elimination from both domestic cups, a perilous loss of form in the Premier League – that our European exploits have not been top of the list.

Well today’s draw for the knockout rounds have brought it right back into focus, and we now know who the Blues will face in the elimination stage. After a cake walk through the group stage, where the only hard part was a flight to Kazakhstan, the difficulty should (in theory) get ramped up a little now.

Our updated squad has Cole Palmer added to the mix, and the team that Enzo Maresca selects should get stronger every week now.

Chelsea to face Copenhagen in Conference League

Stamford Bridge under the lights for a Conference League game. (Photo by Chris Lee/Chelsea FC)

This is one of the harder draws that we could have got at this stage, given the Danes were in the Champions League a year ago, but we’re pretty pleased about that.

We want exciting competitive games, and this should provide more interest than some of the other potential ties. There are no domestic cups to play for now, and trying to get into the top 5 is not as thrilling as a knockout. Let’s hope we put our all into this tournament now.

It’s actually likely a tougher game than the one we would get in the quarter finals should we win – there our opposition would be Legia Warsaw or Molde.

Still, with the injuries we’ve got right now and the form we’re showing, we’re taking nothing for granted.