Enzo Maresca fears the plastic pitch in Stockholm on Thursday night could curtail Chelsea’s Champions League push as he admitted his concern over it causing injuries to his stars.
Cole Palmer and Co face a colossal Premier League clash with Liverpool this Sunday – a match in which they will give the new champions a guard of honour at Stamford Bridge before bidding to boost their chances of a top-five finish by beating them.
But they will first need to navigate their way through Thursday’s Conference League semi-final first leg with Djurgarden, who use an artificial turf at the multi-purpose 3Arena in the Swedish capital.