Chelsea will travel to the Polish capital on Thursday night to face Legia Warsaw in the first leg of their Europa Conference League quarter-final, knowing that they have a golden opportunity.
With no teams from Europe’s top five leagues standing between them and the final, the Blues have a clear path to the final in Wroclaw if they can overcome their next two opponents.
Many people have treated this competition as a formality since the draw was made, but recent performances suggest Enzo Maresca’s side cannot afford such a mindset.
They cruised through the league phase with six wins from six and overcame FC Copenhagen without conceding in the last 16.
However, Chelsea’s rhythm has dipped in recent weeks, with just three goals scored across their last five matches.
The goalless draw against Brentford last weekend underlined their current lack of cutting-edge.
The last time they won away from home in any competition was in Copenhagen over a month ago, and their away league record in 2025 still reads zero wins.
Maresca remains calm and believes his side are still on track. “We have been there all season,” he said in his pre-match press conference. “Hopefully, we can be there at the end.”
Legia will not be overawed by the occasion. They have lost just once at home since September and, despite sitting fifth in the table, are the highest scorers in the Polish Ekstraklasa, with 50 goals.
A 5-0 win over Ruch Chorzow in the Polish Cup was followed by a gritty 2-1 league victory over Gornik Zabrze, suggesting they are peaking at the right time.
This is not a side to be taken lightly, especially in front of a passionate home crowd. Maresca has prepared his players for the challenge.
“We try to show them some of the environment in this stadium so they can adapt,” Maresca added. “They are lucky to experience that kind of game.”
There is no deficit to overturn, no urgent crisis to solve, but Chelsea must see this tie for what it is – a chance to reset, dominate and take one more step towards the trophy they are expected to win.
