Real Betis are likely to pose a stern test for Chelsea next week when they meet in the Conference League final.
The current focus at Chelsea is on Sunday’s trip to Nottingham Forest on the final day of the Premier League season, where they are fighting to stay in the top five and qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Afterwards, the Blues take on Spanish La Liga club Betis next Wednesday in Wroclaw, Poland. The two teams will compete in the European final to win the Conference League.
Real Betis’ advantage over Chelsea is that they’ve got a couple of extra days to prepare for the final. They played their last La Liga match of the season on Friday night, recording a 1-1 home draw against Valencia to secure sixth position in the league table.
Antony praises ‘very good’ Chelsea team
The current Betis outfit will pose a lot of threats to Chelsea, including Manchester United loanee Antony. The 25-year-old Brazilian winger has scored nine goals in 25 games since his transfer move in January.
Ahead of the Conference League final, the on-loan Betis attacker has spoken highly of upcoming opponents Chelsea.
Antony said via Marca: “I know Chelsea a little, they’re a very good team, I’ve played against them a few times. But we’re also a great team, we beat Real Madrid, who are the best club in the world, we drew with Barcelona… and it’s a final, a different game, very important for us.
“They have a very important game on Sunday. We have to be focused because it’s just one game, we can’t make mistakes and hopefully we’ll be champions.”
Pat Nevin’s message to Chelsea is to ensure they play their strongest team against a talented opposition in the Conference League final.
Blues goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen will start against Real Betis to reward him for his performances in the cup run this season. Realistically, we don’t think Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca will think too much about the team selection for the European final until after the Forest showdown in the league.
Path to the Conference League final
Chelsea have breezed their way to this season’s Conference League without too much drama. As for Betis, they are deservedly in the final after a slightly trickier route.
| Tournament phase | Results |
| Qualifying round | Chelsea 2-0 Servette Servette 2-1 Chelsea |
| Group stage | Chelsea 4-2 Gent Panathinaikos 1-4 Chelsea Chelsea 8-0 Noah Heidenheim 0-2 Chelsea Astana 1-3 Chelsea Chelsea 5-1 Shamrock Rovers |
| Last-16 | Copenhagen 1-2 Chelsea Chelsea 1-0 Copenhagen |
| Quarter-finals | Legia Warsaw 0-3 Chelsea Chelsea 1-2 Legia Warsaw |
| Semi-finals | Djurgarden 1-4 Chelsea Chelsea 1-0 Djurgarden |
| Tournament phase | Results |
| Qualifying round | Kryvbas 0-2 Real Betis Real Betis 3-0 Kryvbas |
| Group stage | Legia Warsaw 1-0 Real Betis Real Betis 1-1 Copenhagen Real Betis 2-1 Celje Mlada Boleslav 2-1 Real Betis Petrocub 0-1 Real Betis Real Betis 1-0 HJK Helsinki |
| Intermediate stage | Gent 0-3 Real Betis Real Betis 0-1 Gent |
| Last-16 | Real Betis 2-2 Guimaraes Guimaraes 0-4 Real Betis |
| Quarter-finals | Real Betis 2-0 Jagiellonia Jagiellonia 1-1 Real Betis |
| Semi-finals | Real Betis 2-1 Fiorentina Fiorentina 2-2 AET Real Betis |
Joe Cole predicts Chelsea will beat Real Betis, tipping a 2-1 win and a tight contest.
On paper, this should be the Blues’ hardest match in Europe against the sixth best team in Spain this term. Incidentally, they will come up against high-profile names such as Antony, Pablo Fornals and Isco.
