Enzo Maresca fumes over Chelsea disadvantage – ‘It’s not normal’

Chelsea head coach believes Real Betis have been given a helping hand ahead of next week’s Conference League final after their final La Liga fixture was moved to Friday while the Blues face a crunch Premier League clash on Sunday evening

Enzo Maresca has said it is unacceptable that Chelsea have been given 48 hours less to prepare for next week’s UEFA Conference League final than opponents Real Betis.

Chelsea face Nottingham Forest on Sunday afternoon in what could be a shootout for a place in next season’s Champions League.

But Betis’ final La Liga game of the season, at home to Valencia, has been moved forward by 48 hours to permit Manuel Pellegrini’s side additional rest.

And that has irked Maresca, with the head coach saying: “I’m not happy, 100%. You cannot allow a team 48 hours more than the other team when you play in a European competition final. So you think you should be allowed to play on Friday or they play Sunday like us.

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“I don’t know if it’s from La Liga, from the Premier League or from UEFA. If I ask you if it’s normal to play a final when a team has 48 hours more than the other team, it is not normal, it’s not something correct. Now, if it’s the UEFA, La Liga or the Premier League, I don’t know.”

The Chelsea chief insists his squad’s full focus for now is on their trip to the City Ground but he has already told them that Filip Jorgensen will start in Wroclaw instead of first choice domestic goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.

“Filip is going to play in the final,” Maresca said. “Because he played all the competition. So it’s unfair now that you are already in the final and he’s not playing in the final.

“So for the Betis game it will be Filip plus 10 players. I don’t know which ones, the other 10 there, but for sure Filip is going to play because he deserves to play that final.”

Chelsea’s participation in the Conference League has been criticised throughout the campaign because they are operating on such a higher level than the rest of their competition. But Maresca says winning next Wednesday will be vital to instil a winning mentality in his young squad.

“Very important, first of all because you need to build a winning mentality and you cannot win the Europa League or the Champions League if you are in the Conference. You are in that competition and you have to be focused to win that competition.

“For sure this season helped the players to win games, and it’s the only way to build a winning mentality. And now we are close to the last step and hopefully we can win the title.”

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