UEFA Conference League: Chelsea learn fate for 2024/25 play-off, face FC Braga or Servette for spot in main draw
Updated 05/08/2024 at 16:32 GMT+1
Chelsea have discovered their route to the UEFA Conference League as they plot their return to European competition. The Blues are being led by new head coach Enzo Maresca, who will hope to hit the ground running at Stamford Bridge by confirming their spot in the competition's main draw later in August. Chelsea must qualify through the play-off round and will play either FC Braga or Servette.
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Chelsea will face the loser of the third qualifying round clash between FC Braga and Servette for a place in the UEFA Conference League for the 2024/25 season.
The Blues, led by new boss Enzo Maresca, must qualify for the competition through the play-off route after their sixth-place Premier League finish last term.
Ordinarily, sixth place would have earned them a spot in the UEFA Europa League, but Manchester United - who finished outside the European spots - won the FA Cup to knock Chelsea down to the newly-rebranded Conference League, Europe’s third-tier competition.
Chelsea are yet to play a top-flight game during Maresca’s tenure but have endured a relatively underwhelming pre-season campaign under the Italian.
They began preparations with a draw against Wrexham before they were thrashed 4-1 by Celtic.
Victory against Mexican side America followed, before they were beaten 4-2 by domestic rivals Manchester City.
Chelsea will face Real Madrid and Inter Milan over the next fortnight before their Premier League season kicks off against Man City at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, August 18.
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Four days later, they will welcome either Braga or Servette to west London to mark their return to European competition, where one of the teams will drop down from the Europa League qualifiers.
Braga are the strongest side Chelsea could have come up against on paper, and their European adventure came to an end in the Europa League knockout play-off round last season after a 6-5 aggregate defeat to Qarabag.
Servette crashed out of the UEFA Champions League preliminary rounds last season when they lost 3-2 on aggregate to Michael Beale’s Rangers.
A turbulent couple of seasons for Chelsea led them to miss out on all European competition last term for the first time in seven years.
After back-to-back defeats in the Conference League final - against West Ham United and Olympiacos respectively - Fiorentina will look to right their wrongs this season.
The Serie A side will begin their redemption tour against either Ararat-Armenia or Puskas Akademia.
The play-off draw also took place for the Europa League on Monday, with plenty of interest from those involved in the Conference League.
Play-off round ties for both the Europa League and the Conference League will take place on Thursday, August 22 and Thursday, August 29.
Full UEFA EUROPA League play-off draw
Play-off path:
- Dinamo Minsk or Lincoln Red Imps v RSC Anderlecht
- Jagiellonia Bialystok or FK Bodo/Glimt v Panathinaikos or AFC Ajax
- Qarabag FK or PFC Ludogorets 1945 v FC Petrocub or The New Saints FC
- FK Partizan or FC Lugano v Besiktas JK
- Midtjylland or Ferencvarosi TC v KI Klaksvik or Borac Banja Luka
- Molde FK or Cercle Brugge KSV v HNK Rijeka or IF Elfsborg
- SC Braga or Servette v Trabzonspor or SK Rapid Wien
- Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih or Viktoria Plzen v Heart of Midlothian
Full UEFA Conference League play-off draw
Champions path:
- FC Dinamo Minsk or Lincoln Red Imps FC v FC Ballkani or Larne FC
- FC Ordabasy or FC Pyunik v NK Celje or Shamrock Rovers FC
- Vikingur Reykjavik or FC Flora Tallinn v UE Santa Coloma or FC RFS
- FK Panevezys or Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC v FC Petrocub or The New Saints FC
- KI Klaksvik or FK Borac Banja Luka v HJK Helsinki or FK Decic
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Main path:
- Omonoia or Fehervar v NK Osijek or PFC Zire
- Zurich or Vitoria SC v PFC Botev Plovdiv or HSK Zrinjski Mostar
- Ilves Tampere or Djurgarden v NK Maribor or FK Vojvodina
- Noah or AEK Athens v FK Partizan or Lugano
- St. Gallen 1879 or WKS Slask Wroclaw v Trabzonspor or SK Rapid Wien
- St Mirren or SK Brann v Corvinul Hunedoara v Astana
- Spartak Trnava or Wisla Krakow v Molde FK or Cercle Brugge KSV
- RC Lens v Panathinaikos or AFC Ajax
- Brondby IF or Legia Warszawa v FK Auda or Drita
- FK Mlada Boleslav or Hapoel Beer-Sheva v Paksi or FK Mornar
- BK Hacken or Paide Linnameeskond v 1. FC Heidenheim 1846
- HNK Rijeka or IF Elfsborg v NK Olimpija Ljubljana or Sheriff Tiraspol
- St Patrick’s Athletic or Sabah v Iberia 1999 or Istanbul Basaksehir
- F.C Copenhagen or Banik Ostrava v Kilmarnock or Tromso IL
- Fiorentina v Ararat-Armenia or Puskas Akademia
- Chelsea v SC Braga or Servette
- Maccabi Petah Tikva or CFR 1907 Cluj v FC CSKA 1948 or Pafos
- FK Partizan or Lugano v Silkeborg IF or KAA Gent
- Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih or Viktoria Plzen v Real Betis Balompie
- Noah or AEK Athens v MFK Ruzomberok orHNK Hajduk Split
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