TheReal Betisside contains some names familiar to followers of the Premier League.Antony is on loan from Manchester United, and has lost just one of his previous four meetings with Chelsea, winning two and drawing one. Adrián used to keep goal for West Ham United and Liverpool, winning the Premier League and Super Cup with the latter. Pablo Fornals spent four years at West Ham, and was part of their side that won this competition in 2023. Giovanni Lo Celso, formerly of Spurs, and erstwhile Southampton defender Romain Perraud are on the bench. And then there’s Isco, who has won two previous Uefa finals against English opposition, both with Real Madrid, both against Liverpool in 2018 and 2022. He’s five for five in European finals.
Chelsea make five changes to the team selected for the 1-0 Premier League win at Nottingham Forest last Sunday.Filip Jörgensen replaces Robert Sánchez in goal. Benoît Badiashile, Trevoh Chalobah and Malo Gusto step into the defence, with Tosin Adarabioyo, Levi Colwill and club captain Reece James making way. Nicolas Jackson comes in for Jadon Sancho up front. All of the players replaced are on the bench.
Real Betis:Adrian, Sabaly, Bartra, Natan, Ricardo Rodriguez, Johnny, Fornals, Antony, Isco, Ezzalzouli, Bakambu.Subs: Vieites, Gonzalez, Perraud, Altimira, Lo Celso, Ruibal, Mendy, Jesus Rodriguez, Ortiz, Flores, Pablo Garcia.
Chelsea:Jorgensen, Gusto, Chalobah, Badiashile, Cucurella, Fernandez, Caicedo, Pedro Neto, Palmer, Madueke, Jackson.Subs: Sanchez, Bergstrom, Adarabioyo, Acheampong, Colwill, Amougou, James, Dewsbury-Hall, George, Sancho, Nkunku, Guiu.
Referee:Irfan Peljto (Bosnia-Herzegovina).
Pre-match reading.Set that scene. Whet that palate.
There have been three previous Conference League finals.Here’s a chance to relive them all. West Ham fans, you’re welcome.
The four-year-old Uefa Conference League may not have the cachet of the Europa League, never mind the star-spangled glamour and high-alpha-status of the Champions League.But it still counts for something. Try talking it down to Roma, whose 2022 victory was the Italian giants’ first in Europe for 61 years. Try dismissing it to anyone involved with West Ham United, whose 2023 win marked their first trophy of any sort since 1980. Try speaking ill of it to Olympiacos, whose triumph last year was a continental first for both club and country. Try telling Fiorentina, twice losing finalists and losing semi-finalists this year, that their tears, aching and longing mean nothing.
Chelsea surely won’t be looking down their noses at it this evening.Their game last weekend at Nottingham Forest, in which victory secured their place in next year’s Champions League, may have been more important in terms of pounds and pence, as well as pride for a club more used to a place at the top table. But football’s about bugger all if that means more than winning an actual pot, and here’s a chance for some shiny silverware at the end of an occasionally fraught season. Plus a win would make them the first club to have won all five major Uefa titles. The chance to complete the set might not come around again too soon.
Real Betis meanwhile are looking to win their first-ever European trophy in their first-ever European final.Given their arch city rivals Sevilla are the greatest club in Europa League history, that’s a gap on their roll of honour they’ll be desperate to fill. So this counts for something all right; both teams have plenty on the line this evening.Kick-off at the Stadion Wrocław in Poland is at 9pm local time, 8pm BST.It’s on!