NYON, Switzerland (AP) — Chelsea was paired with Copenhagen in the round of 16 of the UEFA Conference League on Friday after a draw that also separated the heavily favored English club from Fiorentina in a different half of the bracket.
The only team to win all six games in the new 36-team league phase, even without selecting star playmaker Cole Palmer, Chelsea secured the No. 1 seeding in the tennis-style knockout bracket.
Chelsea, which once eliminated Copenhagen in the Champions League round of 16, will go to Denmark for the first leg on March 6 and host the return one week later.
Fiorentina has lost the past two Conference League finals, and was paired with Panathinaikos. The Italians now cannot meet Chelsea until the final on May 28 in Wroclaw, Poland.
Chelsea’s path to the final in the third-tier competition also could go through Poland. It if beats Copenhagen, the London club will face Legia Warsaw or Molde in the quarterfinals.
Copenhagen eliminated Germany’s representative, Heidenheim, in the knockout playoffs round Thursday, while France didn’t even have a team in the league phase.
Spain’s only entry Real Betis was paired Friday with No. 2 seed Vitoria Guimaraes of Portugal.
The other pairings in Friday’s draw were: Jagiellonia Bialystok vs. Cercle Brugge, Celje vs. Lugano, Pafos vs. Djurgarden and Borac Banja Luka vs. Rapid Vienna.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
The Associated Press
