Legia fans
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Chelsea’s Legia Trip Ranked in European Football’s Most Intimidating Away Days

Legia Warsaw logoOn paper, a continental trip to Legia Warsaw in Poland should be considered a positive – after all, there are tougher and more storied clubs you can be drawn against in European competition. But so hostile is the atmosphere at Legia’s Marshall Jozef Pilsudski Stadium that the home players are given a boost before a ball has even been kicked.

Chelsea’s Europa Conference League date with the Polish outfit in April will be a challenge for Enzo Maresca’s men, with Legia’s fans creating an other-worldly atmosphere with their red flares and incessant chanting. Those supporters are an unruly bunch, and when troubled flared ahead of their clash with Aston Villa back in 2023, 46 Legia fans were arrested for various offences that included the assault of a police officer, possession of a knife and criminal damage.

Most of the charges were later dropped, however UEFA still decided to ban Legia fans from attending their side’s next five away games in Europe. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who played in Warsaw for Leicester City, has told his Chelsea teammates that the vibe will likely be ‘hostile, but in a good way.’ The midfield commented:

It’s an atmosphere I hadn’t experienced before, and a little bit different to England. I’m looking forward to experiencing it again.

So, where does Legia Warsaw rank amongst the most intimidating away days in European football?

Galatasaray

Galatasaray logoUnfortunately, Chelsea fans have first-hand experience of how the atmosphere ahead of Galatasaray games can switch from passion to violence. Two Blues fans were stabbed the last time that Chelsea were paired with the Turkish outfit in continental competition back in 2014 – mercifully, they made a full recovery.

The fear factor doesn’t diminish inside of Galatasaray’s RAMS Park home, either. A sea of red flares creates an almost apocalyptic aesthetic, while their fans are not afraid of making themselves heard – in fact, the club holds a Guinness World Record for the loudest support in football.

Apparently, 131 decibels – the volume that Galatasaray’s supporters recorded back in 2011 – is louder than a jet taking off. Intimidating? You better believe it…

Borussia Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund logoAlthough not necessarily intimidating in a ‘I fear for my life here’ kind of way, there’s still something incredibly hostile about Borussia Dortmund’s fans at their Signal Iduna Park home. They are famous for their ‘Yellow Wall’, a mammoth display of club colours in the tifo style that has become so popular around the world.

The stand housing the Yellow Wall stands some 131ft tall and boasts a capacity of 25,000, which helps to create that volcanic sound. All told, Signal Iduna Park welcomes more than 80,000 fans, with Dortmund one of the best supported clubs in Germany – they had a higher attendance than any other Bundesliga side in 2024/25, despite their woes on the pitch.

Chelsea experienced the Yellow Wall first hand as recently as 2023, when they took on Dortmund in a Champions League last 16 tie – the Blues lost 0-1 on the night, but would ultimately progress to the quarter-finals 2-1 on aggregate.

Crvena Zvezda

Crvena Zvezda logoCrvena Zvezda, or Red Star Belgrade as they have been better known, are renowned for putting on, shall we say, a challenging atmosphere for away players and fans.

The tunnel at the Raiko Mitic Stadium, through which the players must pass to reach the pitch, is hostile in its own right – resembling a dark and dingy underpass, is 240 metres long and comes complete with graffiti art of anguished faces and a mind melting, psychedelic aesthetic.

And that’s only part of the fun. Red Star’s fans live up to their colourful name with pyrotechnic shows of hellish red flares, smoke bombs and tifos. Their ultras group, known as the Delije, is also amongst the most feared in world football. The good news – or the bad, depending on your predilections – is that Chelsea are yet to experience the full force of a European away day at the Raiko Mitic Stadium.