Conference League Final 2025 - Real Betis 1-4 Chelsea

[Vesper 30,085]

I am so stressed already

I am getting 2012 FIFA World Club Cup vibes 😧

 

[Blue Armour 4,436]

Why are 2/3rds of the internet rooting for Antony for this game? Did he become Messi all of a sudden?

[Fulham Broadway 17,299]

1 hour ago, Blue Armour said:

Why are 2/3rds of the internet rooting for Antony for this game? Did he become Messi all of a sudden?

Domestic abuser of three women. Must be all the incels rooting for him

[Special Juan 28,095]

The only thing Messi about Antony is his relationships and his career at United

[Vesper 30,085]

Chelsea Conference League final key questions: How important is it? Who starts? Predictions?

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6384082/2025/05/28/Chelsea-conference-league-final-analysis/

Follow live coverage of today’s Conference League final between Betis and Chelsea

Chelsea have already secured one significant target this week by qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in the Todd Boehly-Clearlake era. Now the men’s team have the chance to get their hands on the first piece of silverware under the consortium, too.

They will be strong favourites against Real Betis in Wednesday’s Conference League final in Wroclaw. Succeed and they will become the only club to have the full set of major UEFA trophies: Champions League, Europa League, Conference League and Cup Winners’ Cup. Fail, and it will be a missed opportunity to make history.

Chelsea can become the first club to win all four major UEFA trophies – but who else could complete the set?

Sixty-one clubs have won a major UEFA competition. Here's a breakdown and a look at which can still win all four of them

The Athletic’s Chelsea correspondents, Simon Johnson and Liam Twomey, had one of their cosy chats to talk about some of the issues surrounding the final.

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How important is this game?

Johnson: Can Chelsea ‘win it all’?

Twomey: They certainly have a great chance. I am not sure how much it means to the ownership because they have seemingly wanted a clean break from the past, but for the players and head coach Enzo Maresca it is a chance for them to win something together, which is the most important motivation of all.

SJ: I think getting the first trophy of the Boehly-Clearlake era is key, too. While it is not the trophy they set out to win on taking over the club, it will stop the talk that they have yet to win anything, which will continue to be levelled at them until they do. This competition is the easiest opportunity, and they should take it.

LT: Yes, you only had to see the criticism after Chelsea lost the Carabao Cup final to Liverpool last year when Gary Neville called them “the billion-pound bottle jobs”. And let’s not forget that Betis are a top-six club in La Liga…

SJ: They are managed by Manuel Pellegrini, who Maresca has a lot of respect for. He played under him at Malaga and was his assistant at West Ham United. Enzo called him his “professional dad” last week and clearly feels Chelsea are in for a tough game.

LT: Betis have never won a European trophy. This is the biggest game in their history.

SJ: There is a different feel about it for both clubs. Chelsea have been expected to win it from day one, whereas it will be a dream for Betis to do so. It reminds me of when Chelsea lost their first Club World Cup final against Corinthians in 2012, when the Brazilian team wanted it more. In saying that, Chelsea are in a great mindset after Sunday. If they had failed to qualify for the Champions League, they would have been under a lot of pressure and on a bit of a downer. Instead, they are on a high after getting the result they needed at Nottingham Forest. That could balance out the fact that they have had shorter preparation time than their opponents, who played on Friday night.

LT: Chelsea have been playing with a chip on their shoulder, that they are sick of being doubted. Well, go do that again.

 

Filip Jorgensen played in the semi-final against Djurgarden at Stamford Bridge (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

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Who should start?

SJ: Regular listeners to Straight Outta Cobham will have heard me saying Robert Sanchez should start in goal. Filip Jorgensen has played most of the games, but Sanchez is the No 1 and has done pretty well in recent weeks. But when I asked Maresca about it last week, he confirmed Jorgensen is going to be in goal. In my opinion, if you are trying to win a cup, you go with your best ‘keeper. No time for sentiment.

LT: I agree. I believe it is dangerous nonsense. You could apply the same logic to all the other players who have played a lot of minutes up to the final that are not considered to be the A-team. You should always play your best players in a big game. Besides, Jorgensen has been accustomed to playing with a certain group of defenders, like Benoit Badiashile and Josh Acheampong, not the back four you expect to start like Levi Colwill, Marc Cucurella and Reece James. Mess around with those familiar connections and you increase the chance of mistakes — particularly when trying to play out from the back under pressure.

SJ: Maresca has said he will make changes due to the short turnaround, but the only change I would make to the back four from the one that played at Nottingham Forest is Trevoh Chalobah for Tosin Adarabioyo. The latter was brought in because of Forest’s Chris Wood. He has done well, but Chalobah deserves to play in what could be his final match for Chelsea.

LT: James should stay in, too. He has shown he can play more than one game a week at a high level, and Chelsea need the leadership he displayed against Nottingham Forest as well as his quality.

SJ: He is also the only member of Chelsea’s 2021 Champions League-winning team who is going to be involved. Yes, Enzo Fernandez has won a World Cup, but none of the others know what it takes to lift a trophy with Chelsea. James’s experience of that is vital. With Romeo Lavia not in the Conference League squad, the midfield takes care of itself, right?

LT: Yes, Moises Caicedo and Fernandez.

SJ: What about the wingers? All three played on Sunday. There is Tyrique George, too. However, the others are ahead of him in the pecking order.

LT: Yes. I would go with Noni Madueke and Pedro Neto. George has scored some key goals in recent months and can always be an option off the bench. Then Cole Palmer will be there too. Hopefully, we see some Palmer magic.

SJ: Yes, I thought we saw some of the old Palmer in the win over Liverpool. However, overall, he still seems like a guy running out of steam toward the finishing line. It would be important for Chelsea if he can rally himself for this last fixture. He does have the memory of scoring a fine goal in the Super Cup final for Manchester City against Sevilla. Chelsea need that. One player who should not be short of motivation is Nicolas Jackson after missing the final two games through suspension after his red card against Newcastle United. He has a point to prove and he knows Chelsea want to buy a centre-forward this summer. This is an opportunity to show ‘I must stay as the main man’. He just needs to channel that energy in the right way, not by hitting anyone in the face!

 

Nicolas Jackson reacts after being sent off against Newcastle at St James’ Park on May 11 (Stu Forster/Getty Images)

LT: I know some within the fanbase were keen to wash their hands of him. But don’t forget, Didier Drogba was sent off in a Champions League final and redeemed himself. That is not to say Jackson is as good, but more a case of saying don’t give up on someone after a low point. No player will have bigger motivation. Plus, Chelsea’s attack does not function as well without him, despite winning against Manchester United and Nottingham Forest. He stretches teams with his movement and presses opponents constantly.

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Any concerns over Betis?

SJ: We have not talked about Betis that much. We are not Maresca, who will have watched lots of videos of them to provide expert analysis, but Antony’s revival since going on loan there from Manchester United is clearly a cause for concern for Chelsea.

LT: Yes, Chelsea have to be looking at that. He is full of confidence. Cucurella will be up against him. While Cucurella has been really impactful going forward, there is still a question mark over his one-versus-one defending at times. Then the wingers in front — it might be Madueke — are not great tracking back, either.

SJ: Perhaps Caicedo can help with keeping him in check, as he does like to cut inside. I would rather he look out for him than Fernandez, who does not have the pace to cope. Betis do concede goals, which Chelsea should see as a positive. They have not kept a clean sheet in their last 11 games.

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Who will win?

LT: Chelsea. They have balance between attack and defence now, especially with Jackson coming back. They will have too much for Betis.

SJ: I am not going to jinx them by saying they will. It is an amazing opportunity for them to have a fantastic end to the season and really help them to kick on in 2025-26, too.

[Vesper 30,085]

Nicolas Jackson ‘in debt’ to Chelsea team-mates, can make amends in Conference League final – Enzo Maresca

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6385860/2025/05/27/jackson-Chelsea-conference-league-final/

Follow live coverage of today’s Conference League final between Betis and Chelsea

Enzo Maresca believes Nicolas Jackson is in the right frame of mind to make amends for Chelsea in the Conference League final after his red card against Newcastle United.

Jackson is available for selection again having missed the last two Premier League games of the campaign through suspension.

The Senegalese striker was sent off for violent conduct in the first half of Chelsea’s 2-0 defeat at St James’ Park when he hit Sven Botman in the face.

Chelsea were able to qualify for the Champions League via a fourth-place finish without the 23-year-old, but Maresca believes the cause of Jackson’s absence means he owes something to his team-mates against Real Betis.

When asked by The Athletic if Jackson is ready to channel his desire to make up for it in the right way, Maresca said: “I hope so because I think Nico is in debt with his team-mates and the reason why is because in that moment, Newcastle away was for us the most important game.

“He left his team-mates with ten players for one hour so for sure he’s in debt. For sure he’s a good guy. For sure he recognised the mistake. He apologised to his team-mates. That is very important. And I’m sure that tomorrow he’s going to do a very good game for us.”

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Captain Reece James insists all has been forgiven and is backing Jackson to put the incident behind him in Wroclaw Stadium.

He added: “He obviously made a mistake. He’s been so key for us this season. Since he arrived, he played a huge part in the way we won. What he’s done, getting sent off, is gone now. We’ve accepted the mistake, put it behind us and all eyes focus on tomorrow.”

Maresca felt Chelsea’s Champions League qualification after winning 1-0 at Nottingham Forest on Sunday allowed the club to say ‘F-off’ to their critics. But he has told the squad to play with the same intensity to ensure the season ends on a similar high.

He said: “Like I said many times, to build a winner mentality there is only one way. You cannot build a winner mentality if you don’t win games.

“The message in the last 48 hours has been, we did something important (on Sunday). But if we want to confirm that we are becoming an important club, we need to show the desire to win the title and to win the game.

“Tomorrow is a different game. It’s a final. And it’s a game that we want to win at any cost. We need to show again the desire to win the title and to win the game.”

“]

Maresca complained last week that Real Betis have had 48 hours extra rest than his players because they got to play their final La Liga match on Friday night.

While Betis head coach Manuel Pellegrini has some sympathy for his counterpart who he enjoys a close bond with, he says Chelsea should not see it as a factor in deciding the game.

Pellegrini said: “Of course, they had a difficult game on Sunday. They must qualify for the Champions League and they did it, so I am very happy for him.

“But it will not be an excuse because you need to play three days after that game. During the whole season, you always have to play, especially when you play European games, Thursday- Sunday, Wednesday or Saturday.

“So I am absolutely sure that Chelsea will be recuperated and will be there. Tomorrow will be a difficult team with one or two days less of rest, but it will be exactly the same difficult team.”

[Pizy 18,850]

Well, that’s certainly a surprising team selection at the back. Especially surprised not to see Reece starting. Dropping your captain for a final is weird. Especially when he’s been playing well lately.

[Special Juan 28,095]

No James, Colwill and Badshit coming in.....WOW

[Vytis33 1,261]

Seems like I’m not the only one confused…Levi and Reece on the bench??

[Pizy 18,850]

Maresca will definitely have some questions to answer if we lose this with our best defenders sat on the bench. 

[Special Juan 28,095]

A final and no Colwill and James is fucking mental, he needs to hope this goes our way as those selections are big choices...

These are no mugs

[YorkshireBlue 3,264]

3 minutes ago, Special Juan said:

A final and no Colwill and James is fucking mental, he needs to hope this goes our way as those selections are big choices...

These are no mugs

 Clearly the one thing he learns from pep is to overthink a final 

[Laylabelle 9,534]

Ohhhh wtf. There's no more games after this play the best!

[Fulham Broadway 17,299]

Vialli, Ancelotti, Di Matteo, Conte, Sari, every Italian manager has won us a trophy. Now its Marescas time.....

[Special Juan 28,095]

Time to stand up and be counted