Chelsea without key man for Europa Conference League final as UEFA step in
Chelsea will play in Wednesday's Europa Conference League final without Romeo Lavia as the young midfielder is unable to be added to their squad - meaning he will miss out
Chelsea will be without Romeo Lavia for the Europa Conference League final against Real Betis after being told they cannot add him to their squad list. The Blues will be eyeing a European trophy when they head to Poland.
Wednesday night's encounter can see Enzo Maresca land a trophy in his first season with the west Londoners hot favourites to win the competition. They will have a number of their big names available but Lavia will not be up for selection.
Chelsea cannot alter the A list squad they have listed for the Europa Conference League, but they can add an unlimited players to their B list until 11pm the night before any game - provided they meet the criteria.
However, Lavia is not eligible to be added before the final, as first reported by The Daily Mail. The 21-year-old was born after January 1, 2003, which ticked one box for the B list, but he has not been with the club for a long enough period, which means he must sit out.
Nicolas Jackson has led the club's line for much of the season but has been absent in recent weeks through suspension. He will return however for the final, which will have no bearing on what tournament Chelsea play in next season.
The Blues saw off Nottingham Forest on the final day which saw them secure a spot in the top five. That has granted them a spot in next season's Champions League. Even victory on Wednesday would only have seen them qualify for the Europa League.
Success on Wednesday night would see Chelsea become the first team to ever win all three European trophies - albeit the Conference League is only its in fourth edition. But Maresca sees that as a big plus as he prepares to face Manuel Pellegrini, whom he worked under as a young coach.
The Chelsea boss told UEFA: "It's been a good season, but it can be a great one if we manage to win the Conference League and finish in the top four or five of the Premier League. It would be a way of saying that we are back and that we are a winning club in Europe, and we hope to achieve just that.
" We would become the first club in Europe to win every trophy [the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and the Conference League] — that's important."
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