Chelsea have learned who they will face in the Conference League Round of 16, with the West London club set for a two-legged affair against Copenhagen.
The Blues were the only side in any European competition to finish the group stage with a 100% winning record, seeing them skip the play-off round.
Enzo Maresca has been keen to rotate his side heavily up to now, however, a lot of the ‘B-team’ players left the club in the January transfer window.
Joao Felix, Renato Veiga, Axel Disasi and Cesare Casadei were all regulars in Europe, but will not be available for selection in the knockout stages of the competition.
Chelsea’s previous results against Copenhagen after drawing them in Conference League
Maresca can lean on the positive record Chelsea have against Copenhagen, with the club unbeaten in four matches against the Danes in European football.
The last time they faced the Danish side was in the Champions League Round of 16 in the 2010/11 season when Carlo Ancelotti was in charge of the Blues.
Chelsea got the job done in the first leg, with a 2-0 win thanks to an important brace from Nicolas Anelka.
Anelka and Fernando Torres got the nod up front over Didier Drogba, with Ancelotti desperate to get the Spaniard on the scoresheet for the first time after becoming the Blues’ most expensive transfer.
Copenhagen 0-2 Chelsea 22/2/11
| Stats | Copenhagen | Chelsea |
| Possession | 41% | 59% |
| Shots | 12 | 19 |
| Shots on target | 7 | 10 |
| Corners | 1 | 3 |
Chelsea had a host of chances to make the second leg a mere formality in Denmark, however, Torres was guilty of a number of missed opportunities on the day.
The two sides played out a 0-0 draw with Copenhagen at Stamford Bridge, ensuring they booked their place in the quarter-finals, where they were dumped out by Manchester United.
Enzo Maresca under pressure to win Conference League
Chelsea are under pressure to win the Conference League because anything less will be seen as a complete failure.
And the toughest game they will have to play may be about to come in the next round, as there are not many teams better than Copenhagen in the competition.
Cole Palmer has been added to the squad, so there is no excuse not to deliver this trophy to the cabinet come the end of the season.
Nigel Reo-Coker has even called for Maresca to be sacked if Chelsea don’t win the Conference League.
While it has been claimed that the Chelsea owners are fully backing Maresca, supporters will lose faith if they don’t win this tournament, which they have been dominant in so far.
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