By Michael Harrison
On Wednesday May 28, in the Stadion Wroclaw, Poland, giants of London Chelsea are set to take on the revitalised Real Betis in the UEFA Conference League final.
Real Betis are on the hunt for their first ever European trophy in their history, whereas Chelsea are chasing the dream of being the first club to win all five UEFA competitions. The two teams have not played against each other since a 2005 Champions League group stage tie, in which Didier Drogba and Ricardo Carvalho cashed in on goals during a 4-0 demolition job of the Spanish side. One which lives long in the memory of current Betis coach Manuel Pellegrini, after he himself had a memorable Champions League campaign with Villareal that year – reaching the semi-finals.
Real Betis – despite having no European glory at all – have plenty of experienced weapons in their arsenal. Isco (aged 33) has already won the Champions League with Spanish rivals Real Madrid four times in his career, furthermore Pablo Fornals is a Conference League winner with West Ham. Pellegrini has silverware with Manchester City, winning the Premier League in 2013, and managing experience with West Ham in 2018, when current Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca was his coaching assistant for the Hammers.
Chelsea – while not reaching the heights of experience in the Betis camp – still have some big names in their team. Players such as Jadon Sancho, Robert Sanchez, Christopher Nkunku and Marc Cucurella have all been influential in their path to the final. Chelsea – who have won 11 out of their 12 games in this European campaign – have a much better record in contrast to Real Betis, with the Spanish side winning seven, drawing four and losing three in the competition.
Chelsea’s cup campaign started in the play-offs for the competition, grinding past Switss side Servette in a 3-2 win, back in August 2024. They went further unbeaten, breezing past Gent, Panathinaikos and battering Armenian team Noah 8-0 in the Conference League’s biggest win in its history. The round of 16 saw a 3-1 win on aggregate against Copenhagen, and a 4-2 aggregate win against Legia Warzawa. Kienan Dewsbury-Hall netted the prime goal of the second leg against Djurgarden to secure this place in the final against Betis.
Betis on the other hand, have played Fiorentina in the semi-finals, Vitória SC in the quarter finals, and breezed through the play offs to the round of 16 beating Gent 3-1 on aggregate.
One player to keep a keen eye on during the game is Manchester United loanee Antony. The Brazilian is a player reborn in Spain. Goals, speed, power, the winger has come alive on the right wing, racking up four goals and three assists in Europe. The player shone in Betis’ thrilling 2-2 game against Fiorentina, blasting a powerful free kick into former teammate David De Gea’s top right corner, and assisted Abdessamad Ezzalzouli’s extra-time decider.
The Brazilian was a joy to watch on the night. Could he help the Spanish team finally claim European Glory for the first time in history? Or will Chelsea storm the final and claim their 9th European trophy and complete the five UEFA cup dynasty?
