Isco tries to lead Real Betis to its 1st European title in Conference League final vs. Chelsea
WROCLAW, Poland (AP) — It's been a breakthrough season for Francisco 'Isco' Alarcon with Real Betis, and it could culminate with him leading the Spanish club to its first European title.
The Betis captain could be the one lifting the historic trophy on Wednesday if his team defeats Chelsea in the Conference League final.
'Chelsea and ourselves are two good teams with some great players. The game tomorrow is very important for everybody, but I believe what Betis has is a lot of excitement, and the opportunity to win a first final is something historic for us,' Isco said Tuesday.
The Seville club won the Spanish league in 1934-35, as well as three Copas del Rey — most recently in 2022 — but it is yet to triumph at the European level, where it had never gone past the quarterfinals in any competition.
'Believing is the first step to victory,' the 33-year-old playmaker said. '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.'
Isco's superb season with Betis earned him a spot back in Spain's national team after a long absence. He was called back to Spain's national team by coach Luis de la Fuente on Monday for the Nations League semifinal against France on June 5 in Stuttgart. He hadn't been with Spain's squad since 2019.
After nearly a decade with Real Madrid, where he won five Champions League titles and three Spanish league titles, Isco returned to his roots in southern Spain, first with Sevilla in 2022-23 and then with Betis, where he has been thriving for the last two seasons.
Betis also has the experience of coach Manuel Pellegrini, who won the Premier League title with Manchester City in 2014 and later was in charge of West Ham at a time when now-Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca was his assistant.
Betis also has a Conference League winner in its squad: midfielder Pablo Fornals, who won the competition with West Ham in 23.
'When you are close to a final," Isco said, "you always visualize what might happen, but you have to focus on the game at hand. This is Betis' first final, and it would be a dream to win it, but it will be very difficult.'
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer in this topic
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Inter Milan Sound Out Move For Man United Outcast – But Atalanta Talisman Still The Priority
Inter Milan have sounded out a move for Man United winger Jadon Sancho, but Ademola Lookman is still their priority. This according to Italian broadcaster SportItalia, via FCInterNews. They report that the contacts for Sancho are still just exploratory. Jadon Sancho has emerged as a potential surprise target for Inter Milan. The 25-year-old is back at Manchester United after a season on loan with Chelsea. Whilst it was a relatively positive season for Sancho at Stamford Bridge – even scoring in the Europa Conference League final against Real Betis – the Blues did not sign Sancho permanently. Nevertheless, there is little doubt that United want to offload Sancho this summer. The England international does not have a place in the project at Old Trafford. Inter Sound Out Jadon Sancho Move – But Lookman Still The Priority NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND – MAY 11: Jadon Sancho of Chelsea looks on during the Premier League match between Newcastle United FC and Chelsea FC at St James' Park on May 11, 2025 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by) According to SportItalia, Inter have made contact about Sancho through an agent. However, the broadcaster reports, so far these have just been exploratory. The Nerazzurri are still only sounding out a move. Right now, Inter's priority is still to try sign Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman. If the Nerazzurri's pursuit of Lookman hits a dead end, though, they could decide to go after Sancho.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Longhorns first AP preseason No. 1 in history to be underdog in Week 1
It has never happened before. No preseason No. 1 in the AP Top 25 has been an underdog in Week 1. But that's exactly what the Texas Longhorns are. UT is a 2.5 point underdog to the Ohio State Buckeyes at the Horseshoe in Columbus, OH in the first week of the season, according to ESPN BET lines. According to ESPN BET, Texas-Ohio State as its most-bet college football game so far for the 2025 season. 54.1% have bet on Texas on the spread and 73.6% have bet on Texas in the money line, which is +115. If you use the US LBM Coaches Poll, this will also be the first time No. 1 and No. 2 have played each other in the first week of the season. ESPN College GameDay will be on hand. So will Fox Sports' Big Noon Kickoff. The game already has huge storylines. It is Arch Manning's first start as QB1. It features the defending national champion. It features college football's only back-to-back semifinalist. It is a rematch of last year's college football semifinal in the Cotton Bowl. Now it is historic in two ways. Follow us on X/Twitter at @LonghornsWire.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Chelsea Get Major Agreement News on Leipzig Star With PSG Clause Amid Sale Decisions
Chelsea appear ready to sign 22-year-old Xavi Simons, who left PSG earlier this year, while Arsenal is also showing interest. Wherever Simons lands, PSG is expected to earn a solid profit from the transfer. Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reported that Leipzig agreed to an €80 million deal for Simons, with €55 million paid upfront. The Dutch midfielder's contract runs through June 2027, and PSG included a sell-on clause to secure a cut of any future transfer fees. That approach is already paying off. Adam Crafton of The Athletic revealed that PSG recently received €17 million (£15 million) from Hugo Ekitiké's move to Liverpool thanks to a similar clause. Romano also mentioned that Chelsea are making strong progress in personal terms. Simons is reportedly open to the move and interested in joining the Premier League club, though talks are still ongoing. Will Chelsea secure a former PSG standout?Florian Plettenberg from Sky Sport Germany reports that Simons has already agreed to full terms with Chelsea and is still eager to join, patiently waiting. Chelsea continue to push to finalize the Simons deal, but needs to offload more players first. A swap involving Christopher Nkunku isn't on the table right now, though RB Leipzig remain open to a loan for Nkunku. At the moment, the full Xavi deal is just too costly for FC Bayern Munich. Recently, Romano shared an update on the file that Chelsea have yet to find common ground with Leipzig over a transfer fee. 'For Xavi Simons, talks are further along, Chelsea are in advanced verbal discussions with RB Leipzig but a formal club-to-club agreement has yet to be reached with player sales remaining a requirement before negotiating a transfer fee,' Romano wrote in his column for CaughtOffside. 'Both Garnacho and Simons are considered priority signings for the Blues, but for now, Chelsea's summer plans depend on completing their outgoing deals before they can make their decisive moves in the market.' According to a recent report from Sky Sports, Chelsea are still in talks with Leipzig over Xavi Simons. The two clubs are said to be around £10 million apart on how they value the player.
