Real Betis v Chelsea Conference League final preview

Real Betis meet Chelsea in the Uefa Conference League final at Stadion Wrocław on Wednesday (9pm).

Here we preview the action as the two clubs battle for European football's newest trophy.

Seville-based Real Betis have reached their first European fina, but the task they face in Wroclaw is a daunting one. Chelsea looked like title contenders from the start of the league phase and Enzo Maresca's side come to Poland aiming for a unique first: win and they will become the first team to triumph in all five of Uefa's major men's senior club competitions, the Blues having already won two editions of the Champions League, two Europa Leagues, two Super Cups and two editions of the defunct Cup Winners' Cup.

However, Betis can also take comfort from one stat. Since the start of the 2001/02 season, all 23 Champions League, Europa League or Conference League finals that have featured Spanish hopefuls have been won by a Spanish team (including four all-Spanish deciders – the 2014 and 2016 Champions League finals and the 2007 and 2012 Europa League equivalents). The last time a La Liga club lost a major Uefa final to a foreign outfit was when Valencia were defeated by Bayern in the 2001 Champions League showpiece.

There will be intrigue too in the contest on the sidelines in Wroclaw. Chelsea's Italian coach Maresca played under Betis boss Manuel Pellegrini as a midfielder at Málaga from 2011-12 and was then the Chilean's assistant at West Ham from 2018-19: "He is like my professional dad," joked Maresca in the build-up to their reunion.

Betis fans, meanwhile, know Maresca from his four seasons as a player with their local rivals Sevilla, the Chelsea coach remembering that he scored the only goal in a derby win against Betis in November 2005. "I know that they don't like me," he smiled.

Betis land in Poland on Monday with question marks over the fitness of several players. Holding midfielder Johnny Cardoso has been wrapped in cotton wool since the 18 May trip to Atlético de Madrid, though the US international is expected to be ready and available in Wroclaw. After Friday's 1-1 home draw with Valencia, Pellegrini told reporters that Giovani Lo Celso has a muscle strain, and he's also had concerns over goalkeeper Fran Vieites (calf) and right-back Youssouf Sabaly (shoulder). If Fran Vieites is unavailable, Pellegrini will look to veteran Adrián, once the hero of a penalty shoot-out against Chelsea with Liverpool in the 2019 Super Cup.

As the adage goes, you never change a winning side. Sunday’s victory against Nottingham Forest clinched a Champions League place for the Blues and should have revitalised the squad, so Maresca will probably stick with largely the same line-up, with the exception of a few Conference League stalwarts like Filip Jørgensen, Benoît Badiashile and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

Simon Hart, Real Betis reporter said: "One of Pellegrini’s key messages during Betis' final media day was the need for cool heads from his players against Chelsea. So much excitement surrounds the club's first-ever European final, and dealing with that emotion will be crucial – which takes us again to the importance of Isco, who is not just the creative catalyst but also brings all his trophy-winning experience from Real Madrid. Betis are not a safety-first team – as no clean sheet in their last 11 matches suggests – and Pellegrini has promised a front-foot approach once more."

Joe Terry, Chelsea reporter said: "Throughout the campaign, Maresca has used the Conference League as an opportunity to blood talented youngsters from the academy but with silverware now on the line, the question is whether he reverts to experience for a game that, in his words, can turn a good season into a great one. If you add in the master v apprentice element of facing his old coach Pellegrini, then I expect he'll lean towards his strongest available XI."

Pellegrini said: "My personal satisfaction goes without saying. It makes me much happier to see the joy of the Betis fans. We've felt a little bit of a responsibility to give the Betis fans something like this to celebrate. We are very happy to reach the final and even more so to be playing against Chelsea; I sent Maresca a message a long time ago saying that I was very happy for him."

Maresca said: "I met my wife in Seville; she's from Seville. My first son was born in Seville. I played for Sevilla but no doubt that I want to win the final. We can give the chance to this club and these fans to be the first club in Europe to win all the (major Uefa club) competitions. The Conference League is a starting point to build a winners' mentality and then to try to win more things and more titles."