Djurgarden currently occupy 11th position in Sweden’s top division following a challenging opening to the campaign.
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has spoken of his “concern” regarding the widely criticised artificial pitch ahead of Thursday’s Conference League semi-final.
The London club are set to face Djurgarden on a surface that prompted the home side’s manager, Jani Honkavaara, to label it as “horrible” following their recent encounter with GAIS.
Critiques of the 3Arena pitch have come not only from Honkavaara but also Djurgarden’s players and several opposition managers.
Efforts have been made to enhance the playing conditions, with additional sand applied to the surface ahead of Chelsea’s visit.
Nevertheless, Maresca, who has reviewed Djurgarden’s last six fixtures, remains attentive to the potential challenges posed by the artificial turf.
“It can be a concern,” he admitted. “I’m a little bit worried about that. It’s completely different [from grass].”
“Even some of their own players have complained about the pitch in recent weeks. For us, it will be a new experience.”
“Nevertheless, we will not look for excuses. There is no reason why we won’t fully compete in both legs.”
Despite the pitch concerns, Chelsea are strong favourites to progress. UEFA rates the Premier League as Europe’s top division with the Swedish Allsvenskan ranked 20th, while Chelsea’s squad is valued at 44 times that of their opponents, according to Transfermarkt.
Maresca indicated he does not plan to rest players, even with a crucial Premier League fixture against Liverpool on Sunday and Champions League qualification still in play. “We are not in a position to rest players. This is a European semi-final and we intend to reach the final,” he commented.
Both Christopher Nkunku and Robert Sanchez have remained in London due to minor injuries and are under evaluation, but Chelsea have brought their strongest available squad to Sweden.
Maresca continued: “Now that we are in the semi-final, our next objective is the final. Should we progress, the ultimate goal is the title.”
“It would be a significant achievement. Winning this European competition would make Chelsea the only club to have lifted every European trophy. This is a responsibility I share with the players.”
Captain Reece James has previously commented that Chelsea “disrespected the competition” following a 2-1 defeat to Legia Warsaw in the earlier round, although Chelsea went through 4-2 on aggregate.
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