On August 23 at 3:00 AM, the UEFA Europa Conference League will see its first leg of the play-off round with Chelsea hosting Sion at their home ground.
Chelsea is a prestigious team from the English Premier League. However, despite spending enormous sums on player acquisitions in recent years, their performance has not been up to par. In last season’s Premier League, they only managed 18 wins, 9 draws, and 11 losses out of 38 matches, accumulating 63 points to finish sixth, narrowly securing a spot in the Europa Conference League play-offs. Due to poor results, manager Pochettino was dismissed.
This season, the club appointed new manager Maresca and underwent some squad changes, but the team’s performance hasn’t improved. During pre-season, the club ambitiously arranged friendlies against champions from various leagues, but apart from defeating Mexican league champions Club America, they failed to win any other matches against Real Madrid, Manchester City, Inter Milan, and Celtic. They were also defeated 0-2 by Manchester City in the opening match of this season’s Premier League, significantly denting the team’s morale.
The team currently has no injured players, which is the only piece of good news. However, several veteran players have been sidelined by Maresca, including Sterling and Chilwell, who did not make it into the squad for the new season. This demonstrates Maresca’s determination to transform the team, though it will take time.
Sion is a team from the Swiss Super League. In the first five matches of this season, they have not yet reached their best form, securing three wins and two losses, temporarily ranking fifth in the league. Last season, they finished third in the Swiss Super League, scoring 59 goals and conceding 43 in 38 matches, showing a relatively balanced attack and defense without any standout features.
The team previously secured a spot in the Europa League qualifiers but was eliminated after drawing 0-0 in the first leg and losing 1-2 in the second leg against Braga, with a total score of 1-2. Now, they must pin all their hopes on the Europa Conference League. However, facing a team of Chelsea’s caliber in the play-off round makes it extremely difficult to defeat them over two legs.
The team currently has a full squad with no injuries, giving them some confidence.
The two teams have never faced each other before. Although Chelsea is struggling, their squad and strength are clearly several levels above Sion. However, considering their pre-season loss to a team like Wrexham, an upset in the first leg is not entirely impossible.
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