Chelsea's journey in the UEFA Conference League knockout phase is set to begin next month. The first leg of the play-off ties provided insights into Chelsea's potential opponents in the last-16 stage.
Chelsea will begin their Conference League knockout campaign next month after the first leg of the play-off ties on Thursday night provided some clarity on their potential opponents. Enzo Maresca's side finished top of the Conference League group stage, winning all six of their matches and automatically securing their place in the knockout round.
In December, the draw for the knockout phase play-off ties took place, revealing that Chelsea would face either Gent, FC Copenhagen, Real Betis, or FC Heidenheim in the last-16 stage. Real Betis are now one step closer to the knockout stage after a convincing 3-0 victory against Gent in the first leg of their play-off on Thursday. Meanwhile, FC Heidenheim staged a late comeback to secure a 2-1 win against FC Copenhagen in the first leg of their play-off in Denmark. The second leg of the Conference League play-off ties will take place next Thursday.The UEFA Conference League round of 16, quarter-final, and semi-final draw will be held on February 21 at 13:00 GMT. The draw will be streamed live on UEFA's website and official YouTube channel. The Conference League pathway after Friday's draw involves four bowls, each containing the names of each pair of seeded teams, placed according to league rankings. Alongside Chelsea, the other seven teams who have automatically secured their place in the knockout phase are: Vitoria Guimaraes (POR), Fiorentina (ITA), Rapid Vienna (AUT), Djurgarden (SWE), Lugano (SUI), Legia Warsaw (POL), and Cercle Brugge (BEL). The draw determines the bracket for the seeded teams, starting with rankings 7 and 8, culminating with rankings 1 and 2, which are Chelsea and Vitoria de Guimaraes. The Conference League last-16 matches will commence with the first leg on March 6, followed by the return legs on March 13.
CHELSEA CONFERENCE LEAGUE KNOCKOUT PLAY-OFF OPPONENTS DRAW MARCH
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