Real Betis vs Chelsea Conference League final preview: Where to watch, possible line-ups, form guide, analysis and coaches' views
Wednesday, May 28, 2025
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When is it? How can you watch it? What are the predicted line-ups? All you need to know about the UEFA Conference League final between Real Betis and Chelsea.
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Real Betis meet Chelsea in the UEFA Conference League final at Stadion Wrocław on Wednesday 28 May.
UEFA.com previews the action as the two clubs battle for European football's newest trophy.
Match at a glance
When: Wednesday 28 May (21:00 CET)
Where: Stadion Wrocław, Wroclaw
What: UEFA Conference League final
Who: First-time European finalists Real Betis vs multi-title-winning Chelsea
How to follow: Build-up and live coverage can be found here
Where to watch the game on TV
Fans can find their local UEFA Conference League broadcast partner(s) here.
What do you need to know?
Seville-based Real Betis have reached their first European final, 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 UEFA Champions League, two UEFA Europa Leagues, two UEFA Super Cups and two editions of the defunct UEFA 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.
Starting line-ups
Real Betis: Adrián; Sabaly, Bartra, Natan, Rodríguez; Fornals, Isco, Cardoso; Antony, Bakambu, Ezzalzouli
Chelsea: Jørgensen; Gusto, Chalobah, Badiashile, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernández; Madueke, Palmer, Pedro Neto; Jackson
Form guide
Real Betis
Form (all competitions, most recent first): DLDDDW
Latest: Real Betis 1-1 Valencia, La Liga, 23/05
Where they finished: 6th in La Liga
Chelsea
Form (all competitions, most recent first): WWLWWW
Latest: Nottingham Forest 0-1 Chelsea, Premier League, 25/05
Where they finished: 4th in the Premier League
Reporters' views
Simon Hart, Real Betis reporter: 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: 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 vs apprentice element of facing his old coach Pellegrini, then I expect he'll lean towards his strongest available XI.
Views from the camps
Manuel Pellegrini, Real Betis coach: "We are enjoying ourselves preparing for the match. It is a reward for all the work we have done this season. This is Betis' first European final, but we have a lot of confidence that we will give our fans something to celebrate.
"We don't think we are David against Goliath. We think we have the same possibility to win the game and will start from the first minute to try to do it – it doesn't matter the budget of one team or the other. We have players with a lot of experience, and we will be absolutely convinced from the first minute we are going to try to win the game. To win, we need to be the same team we have been so far. We have to be able to manage the emotional side, because a big mistake could change the match."
Enzo Maresca, Chelsea coach: "The message in the last 48 hours has been that 'we did something important, but if we want to confirm that we are becoming an important club, we have to show desire to win the game.' It is a different game, it is a final, and it is one we want to win.
"The Conference League is important; it has been important because this is the competition we are in. If we are able to win, it is a good thing because we continue to build the winning mentality, and you cannot build a winning mentality if you do not win games."
Isco, Real Betis captain: "Believing is the first step to victory. It is going to be a very difficult game, but we trust our squad. We have proved that we are capable of beating any team, and we are looking forward to this final and bringing joy to our fans, who have deserved it the most."
Reece James, Chelsea captain: "The game's going to be a high-class game. We are playing against very good opposition. We will set out very strong, and we will set out to win. It would mean a lot to me and the club [to win the trophy]. For a lot of the players, it would mean a first trophy."