28 May 2024 , 11:29
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To entice fans to Stamford Bridge on European Thursday nights, Chelsea are introducing new ticket price categories for their Europa Conference League matches.
The Blues, who finished sixth in the Premier League, were dumped from the Europa League courtesy of Manchester United's stunning 2-1 victory over Premier League champions Manchester in the FA Cup final. They will now ply their European trade in UEFA's third-tier competition next season.
As with UEFA's other European competitions, the Conference League had undergone an expansion with 36 teams set to compete in a group stage phase. And the former Champions League winners face a busy but fascinating season on the continent if they progress through August's qualification play-off to the competition's group stages.
Based on projections, Chelsea sit top of the six seeding pots. Potential opponents could include Ordabasy, the reigning champions of Kazakhstan and fifth this season, Republic of Ireland's Shamrock Rovers, Moldova's Petrocub and Iceland's Vikingur Reykjavik.
More familiar opponents include Torino, Real Betis, Lens, Olympiacos, Legia Warsaw, Genk and FC Copenhagen, along with those teams filtered down through the Champions League and Europa League qualifying rounds.
Premier League odds and betting tips
Chelsea are clear favourites to win the tournament if they apply themselves. The Blues' UEFA coefficient is 96.000, considerably higher than the next highest in the competition with Copenhagen's 51.500. Vikingur Reykjavik and Ordabasy have the joint-lowest coefficient at 4.000.
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Chelsea finished sixth in the league after a sharp uptick in form to finish the season under former Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)If Chelsea win their two-legged play-off in August, they will play three group stage games away and three at home. And Stamford Bridge ticket prices have been tweaked to account for the potential lack of interest in the competition on offer.
A new Category G has been introduced, with tickets on general sale prices at £27 for adults and £13.50 for concessions. Meanwhile, Category F has prices at £34 and £17, and Category E is at £40 and £20, respectively.
The top eight group stage winners will advance straight to the round of 16. Those finishing between ninth and 24th will contest a play-off round with the victors progressing to the last-16. The remaining sides will be eliminated.
Should Chelsea go all the way, the final will be held at Stadion Wroclaw in Poland on May 28, 2025.
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