Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca says the club can make a statement and prove they are “back” by winning the Conference League.
The Blues are 4-1 up after the first leg of the semi-final at Swedish club Djurgarden last week and are strong favourites to progress to a final against Real Betis or Fiorentina, which will be played in Wroclaw, Poland, on 28 May.
Asked whether winning a trophy, albeit Uefa’s third-tier European competition, would be enough to say Chelsea are back, Maresca said: “Yes, for me, winning a trophy, the Conference League, is a statement to say Chelsea is back.
“Because, firstly, you win a trophy and then, if Real Madrid or different clubs didn’t play the Conference League, it’s because the Conference League is not the level they were at.
“If we play in the Conference League, it’s because that’s where we are – we need to start from there.
“It’s the only trophy that Chelsea didn’t win in the past and Chelsea can become the first club in Europe to win all the European competitions, so it’s also good for the club.
“From there we will try to win the semi and final. It is a good place to start to build a winners’ mentality to win games and trophies.
“In the future we hope we can be in different competitions but at the moment the reality is the reality.”
According to Transfermarkt,, external Chelsea’s squad is worth 44 times more than Djurgarden’s, while Transferroom,, external which acts as a platform for clubs to sign players, values Chelsea’s squad at the same level as all 35 other clubs that featured in the Conference League’s league phase combined.
Djurgarden are 11th in the Swedish top flight, but 6,000 fans are expected to travel to London for Thursday’s game at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen, who is expected to start, said: “We will take it as seriously as any other games.
“It’s the semi-final of a European competition and we want to be in the final.
“I don’t think any of us think this is done yet. We have 90 minutes left to play. We’re going to give it our all and we want to win this game as well.”
Chelsea are fifth in the Premier League and travel to fourth-placed Newcastle on Sunday, which could have huge implications for both clubs in their bid to qualify for next season’s Champions League through a top-five finish.
