Enzo Maresca ’not happy’ at Chelsea having limited time to prep for Conference League final

Enzo Maresca ’not happy’ at Chelsea having limited time to prep for Conference League final

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has expressed his unhappiness at his team getting two fewer days to prepare for the Conference League final compared to Spanish opponent Real Betis.

While Betis plays its final La Liga match on Friday against Valencia, Chelsea closes its Premier League campaign on Sunday – three days before the Conference League final in Wroclaw, Poland – against Nottingham Forest.

It’s a huge game for Chelsea, too, with Champions League qualification on the line for both teams at the City Ground.

“I’m not happy, 100%,” Maresca said on Tuesday at a news conference. “You cannot allow a team 48 hours more than the other team when you play a European competition final.”

UEFA, which organizes the Conference League, has no say on when domestic league competitions hold their matches.

Chelsea will be unable to bring forward its match against Forest to Friday because the Premier League wants all of its fixtures in the final round to be held at the same time.

So Maresca has another idea. “Or they (Betis) play Sunday like us,” he said with a smile.

Maresca also added that Filip Jorgensen will start in goal for Chelsea. The 23-year-old Swedish-Danish keeper has started all but one game in the competition. Spaniard Robert Sanchez has been Chelsea’s first-choice keeper in the Premier League, playing 31 games this season.

“Filip is going to play the final because he played throughout the competition. It will be unfair now if he doesn’t play the final. For sure, Filip is going to play because he deserves to play,” Maresca told reporters.

Meanwhile, strikers Christopher Nkunku and Marc Guiu remain doubtful for the showdown on May 28 due to injury.

(With inputs from Reuters)

Published on May 20, 2025