Spain’s Real Betis will go against England’s Chelsea next Wednesday, 28th of May, at 21:00 CEST (Central European Standard Time) for the UEFA Europa Conference League final at the Stadion Wrocław in Wrocław, Poland. You can still get conference league final tickets here.
Spanish teams have a history of incredible performances in finals, so will they have the power to beat Chelsea, who, despite having a better season than last year, still haven’t performed as well as they’re known to do? Read on to find out.
Chelsea does too, but they haven’t exactly had the best season, and the last time they won anything was the FIFA Club World Cup in 2022.
Still, you can say what you want about Chelsea and their awful habit of overspending on players that never perform, but they’re 5th in the Premier League, tied with Aston Villa on points and clinching the final Champions League qualifying spot for the 2025/26 season on goal difference.
And in the UEFA Europa Conference League, they have performed well thanks to Enzo Maresca and better player strategy and management this season. But there’s one crucial factor going against Chelsea: time. Chelsea has two fewer days than Real Betis to recover and prepare.
The Blues are scheduled to play Nottingham Forest on the 25th of May, leaving two full days of recovery, including travelling, before the final.
Real Betis plays on Friday, May 23rd, and has a shorter travelling distance, putting them at an advantage for the final, something Enzo Maresca has vocally been less than happy about.
Real Betis have had an amazing season, sitting 6th in La Liga. They’ve won massive games, including against the mighty Real Madrid, who had the power of Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham and finished better than they did last season. They’re too far behind Villarreal, who have 67 points to Betis’ 59, but it doesn’t do them any injustice for the season they’ve had.
And in the UEFA Europa Conference League, they’ve had a strong performance and have that Spanish luck for putting in otherworldly performances in finals, but we won’t talk about Real Madrid falling short of the final this year for the Champions League.
Dominate is a strong word, but we do think they’ll give Chelsea a hard time.
As we said, Real Betis will have two days of rest and preparation on Chelsea. Chelsea going against Nottingham Forest is less than ideal for Enzo Maresca and his team. Forrest sits 7th in the Premier League table, and they’re neck and neck with Aston Villa on points. Ideally, you’d want Chelsea’s key players to rest, but that’s not the plan.
That means Chelsea’s starting squad will likely have played a full 90 minutes two days before the final. So, for that reason, we’ll say it again. It won’t be a dominating performance, but Chelsea will struggle.
Will you be watching the UEFA Europa Conference League final? Whether it’s a dominating performance for Real Betis or not, it’ll still be an incredible game to watch. Let’s see if Chelsea can pull through to list the trophy or not.
