Chelsea prepare for Conference League semi-final with Djurgarden under 'horrible' conditions

The Blues are in Sweden for the first leg of a European last-four showdown. They will have to contend with opponents that are determined to spring a surprise, as well as an artificial playing surface that has come in for criticism.

Djurgarden, who lost the home leg of their quarter-final clash with Rapid Vienna, have slammed their own pitch, with the 3Arena in Stockholm offering them no advantage when domestic and continental rivals roll into town.

Striker August Priske has said, according to The Sun: “I don’t want to blame the pitch of course, but it’s a sh*tty pitch.” Djurgarden share their multi-use stadium with rivals Hammarby, while the likes of Harry Styles and The Rolling Stones have performed there.

Djurgarden coach Jani Honkavaara has said of trying to ready his troops for a crunch clash that provides issues under foot: “Our training pitch is so different to the one at the stadium, it’s like night and day. The stadium pitches feel different from day to day.

“It’s really tough for both us and our opponents. We get nothing extra from it. The pitch is horrible. I have thought of letting us train more on the stadium pitch to get used to it.”

Chelsea have shuffled their pack on a regular basis in Conference League action this season, with Enzo Maresca now having to decide how strong he goes in a fixture that poses injury risks amid an ongoing bid to secure a top-five finish in the Premier League and Champions League qualification for 2025-26.