After a dramatic final day of the Premier League season, on which Chelsea clinched fourth place and secured UEFA Champions League football for next season, attention now turns to Wednesday’s UEFA Conference League final.
Enzo Maresca’s side have been favourites to lift the trophy from the outset and have breezed through to face Real Betis, who are lining up in their first European final.
While Betis have never been in this position before, Chelsea are bidding to make history by completing their set of European trophies.
If they win the final on Wednesday, Chelsea will become the first European team to triumph in all five of UEFA’s major men’s senior club competitions, having already won two Champions Leagues, two Europa Leagues, two UEFA Super Cups and two editions of the defunct UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup.
Victory would also make it an historic season for the Premier League as it would be the first time five different clubs have won a trophy in the same campaign: Liverpool (Premier League), Crystal Palace (FA Cup), Newcastle United (EFL Cup), Spurs (Europa League) and potentially Chelsea (Conference League).
Team news
Given Chelsea’s superiority in the competition, Maresca has primarily used the Conference League as an opportunity to give some of his younger squad players some game time.
Whether he sticks with that outlook now that silverware is at stake remains to be seen.
Filip Jorgensen will expect to retain his Conference League spot in goal, while Maresca could ask Nicolas Jackson to lead the line after missing Chelsea’s last two Premier League matches through suspension.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has been a mainstay of the Conference League run so will hope to start.
Cole Palmer could also play as he looks for the first trophy of his Chelsea career.
Betis have injury doubts over a number of players, including Ezequiel Avila, Lo Celso, Fran Vieites, Youssouf Sabaly, Hector Bellerin, Diego Llorente and Marc Roca.
Could it affect European qualification?
The winners of the Conference League receive a place in next season’s Europa League.
As Chelsea finished fourth in the Premier League, they are already assured of a Champions League spot and would be given the choice between the two competitions if they triumph on Wednesday.
Should they select to play in the Champions League – which is a certainty – their Europa League place for winning the Conference League would not transfer to another English club.
