Kobenhavn vs Chelsea Prediction: Back Blues to assert dominance

The only side to win all six games during the league phase, Chelsea remain strong favourites to land the Conference League.  

The Blues have been placed on the easier side of the draw, too, further enhancing their credentials as favourites for the trophy, and they can get their knockout-stage journey off to a perfect start in Copenhagen on Thursday (17:45, TNT Sports 4).

Football Odds

Team News

Jordan Larsson, Andreas Cornelius and Nicolai Boilesen are unavailable for the hosts, who will also be without their rising star and best player Ronny Bardghji.  

Blues defender Trevoh Chalobah is a doubt while Mykhailo Mudryk is unavailable and Benoit Badiashile, Marc Guiu, Omari Kellyman, Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke are injured. 

Star man Cole Palmer has been added to Chelsea's squad after sitting out the league phase but Romeo Lavia and Wesley Fofana are absent from the roster again.  

Kobenhavn vs Chelsea Odds

Chelsea are 4/6 favourites to take a lead back to Stamford Bridge, with Copenhagen 9/2 to win and 3/1 to keep things to a stalemate.  

Both teams scoring looks a real possibility and can be backed at 4/6, with over 2.5 goals a similar price of 8/13.  

Unsurprisingly, Palmer is the 4/1 favourite to open the scoring, with former Southampton winger Mohamed Elyounoussi the shortest-priced Copenhagen star in the same market at 9/1.

Chelsea to win and both teams to score @ 2/1

All things considered, a price of 4/6 for Chelsea to win is almost worth backing itself. A side as dominant as the Blues were during the league phase should arguably be far shorter for a trip to Copenhagen, whose only win in four Conference League home games came against a poor Hearts outfit.  

Enzo Maresca's men scored 26 goals and conceded just five while winning all six of their league-phase matches and, having added Cole Palmer to an already star-studded squad, they must be feared in this competition.  

However, the Blues' only clean sheets in their last 12 games came against League Two Morecambe and Premier League basement boys Southampton, so it could pay to extend the odds by backing Copenhagen to net in defeat.

Christopher Nkunku first goalscorer @ 5/1

Assuming he starts, all eyes will be on Palmer at the Parken Stadium. But the England star is in the midst of a quiet spell, failing to score in seven straight games, and, at the odds, Christopher Nkunku rates a far better first-goalscorer bet.  

The French forward has netted five goals in as many Conference League games this term and he proved his ability to step up when scoring the opener in Chelsea's trickiest league-phase fixture, a visit to Heidenheim.  

Nkunku scored the Blues' opener against Southampton last weekend and should lead the line in the absence of Jackson and Guiu, making him the standout pick in the first goalscorer market. 

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