Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca believes the club can make a powerful statement and prove they are “back” by winning the UEFA Conference League.

The Blues hold a commanding 4-1 advantage from the first leg of their semi-final against Swedish club Djurgarden last week, making them strong favourites to progress to the final.

They will face either Real Betis or Fiorentina in the decider, which is set to take place in Wroclaw, Poland, on 28 May.

When asked if winning the third-tier European competition would be enough to declare Chelsea’s return to prominence, Maresca confidently replied: “Yes, for me, winning a trophy, the Conference League, is a statement to say Chelsea is back.”

He added that while clubs like Real Madrid may not participate in the Conference League, Chelsea’s current reality dictates their participation in the competition: “If we play in the Conference League, it’s because that’s where we are — we need to start from there.”

Maresca also pointed out that Chelsea has never won the Conference League, making it an important opportunity for the club: “It’s the only trophy that Chelsea didn’t win in the past and Chelsea can become the first club in Europe to win all the European competitions, so it’s also good for the club.”

He continued, “From there we will try to win the semi and final.

It is a good place to start to build a winners’ mentality to win games and trophies. In the future we hope we can be in different competitions but at the moment the reality is the reality.”

Despite Chelsea’s overwhelming financial superiority — their squad is worth 44 times more than Djurgarden’s, according to Transfermarkt — the Swedish side is determined to cause an upset. Djurgarden, who are currently 11th in the Swedish top flight, will bring 6,000 fans to Stamford Bridge for Thursday’s second leg.

Chelsea goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen, who is expected to start, emphasized that the team is taking the match seriously: “We will take it as seriously as any other games.

It’s the semi-final of a European competition and we want to be in the final.

I don’t think any of us think this is done yet. We have 90 minutes left to play. We’re going to give it our all and we want to win this game as well.”

Looking ahead, Chelsea is fifth in the Premier League and will travel to fourth-placed Newcastle on Sunday in a crucial match that could have significant implications for both teams in their fight for a Champions League qualification spot.

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