Chelsea will face Copenhagen in the UEFA Conference League last 16.
The Blues cruised through the league phase with six wins from six, scoring 26 goals in the process, and are overwhelming favourites to lift the trophy.
Glory in Wroclaw, Poland, would end a four-year trophy drought. They are looking to become the fourth winners of the competition, following Roma, West Ham United and Olympiacos.
The imperious run put together by Enzo Maresca’s side in the league phase saw a heavily-rotated side take to the field.
But Maresca decided to call upon Cole Palmer for the knockout phase, adding the England international to Chelsea’s European squad after he missed out the entirety of the league phase run.
Marc Guiu and Christopher Nkunku currently lead the way for the competition’s golden boot, with six and five goals respectively, though Guiu is set for a spell on the sidelines with injury.
Chelsea still have plenty to do to make their 2024/25 campaign – Maresca’s first in charge at the club – a success.
A recent slide in form has seen the west London club fall to sixth in the Premier League table, but the Conference League stands as an achievable trophy to add to their cabinet.
The Blues will face either Molde or Legia Warsaw in the quarter-final, should they make it to the final eight, while they landed on the opposite side of the draw to fellow silverware hopefuls Fiorentina.
The Serie A side – twice runners-up in the competition – take on Panathinaikos for the first time. The sole Spanish side in the tournament, Real Betis, will meet Vitoria in an all-Iberian clash.
The seeded teams – those who finished in the top eight places of the league phase – will have home advantage in the second leg. Ties take place on March 6 and 13.
UEFA Conference League last 16 draw
The draw is split into two halves of a bracket – silver and orange – which determines each team’s route to the final.
Silver:
- Real Betis v Vitoria
- Jagiellonia v Cercle Brugge
(winners of the above ties will face off in quarter-finals)
- Celje v Lugano
- Panathinaikos v Fiorentina
(winners of the above ties will face off in quarter-finals)
Green:
- Copenhagen v Chelsea
- Molde v Legia Warsaw
(winners of the above ties will face off in quarter-finals)
- Pafos v Djurgardens
- Borac v SK Rapid Vienna
(winners of the above ties will face off in quarter-finals)
Ties take place on March 6 and 13.