Nicolas Jackson ‘in debt' to Chelsea team-mates, can make amends in Conference League final
Enzo Maresca believes Nicolas Jackson is in the right frame of mind to make amends for Chelsea in the Conference League final after his red card against Newcastle United.
Jackson is available for selection again having missed the last two Premier League games of the campaign through suspension.
The Senegalese striker was sent off for violent conduct in the first half of Chelsea's 2-0 defeat at St James' Park when he hit Sven Botman in the face.
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Chelsea were able to qualify for the Champions League via a fourth-place finish without the 23-year-old, but Maresca believes the cause of Jackson's absence means he owes something to his team-mates against Real Betis.
When asked by The Athletic if Jackson is ready to channel his desire to make up for it in the right way, Maresca said: 'I hope so because I think Nico is in debt with his team-mates and the reason why is because in that moment, Newcastle away was for us the most important game.
'He left his team-mates with ten players for one hour so for sure he's in debt. For sure he's a good guy. For sure he recognised the mistake. He apologised to his team-mates. That is very important. And I'm sure that tomorrow he's going to do a very good game for us.'
Captain Reece James insists all has been forgiven and is backing Jackson to put the incident behind him in Wroclaw Stadium.
He added: 'He obviously made a mistake. He's been so key for us this season. Since he arrived, he played a huge part in the way we won. What he's done, getting sent off, is gone now. We've accepted the mistake, put it behind us and all eyes focus on tomorrow.'
Maresca felt Chelsea's Champions League qualification after winning 1-0 at Nottingham Forest on Sunday allowed the club to say 'F-off' to their critics. But he has told the squad to play with the same intensity to ensure the season ends on a similar high.
He said: 'Like I said many times, to build a winner mentality there is only one way. You cannot build a winner mentality if you don't win games.
'The message in the last 48 hours has been, we did something important (on Sunday). But if we want to confirm that we are becoming an important club, we need to show the desire to win the title and to win the game.
'Tomorrow is a different game. It's a final. And it's a game that we want to win at any cost. We need to show again the desire to win the title and to win the game.'
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Maresca complained last week that Real Betis have had 48 hours extra rest than his players because they got to play their final La Liga match on Friday night.
While Betis head coach Manuel Pellegrini has some sympathy for his counterpart who he enjoys a close bond with, he says Chelsea should not see it as a factor in deciding the game.
Pellegrini said: 'Of course, they had a difficult game on Sunday. They must qualify for the Champions League and they did it, so I am very happy for him.
'But it will not be an excuse because you need to play three days after that game. During the whole season, you always have to play, especially when you play European games, Thursday- Sunday, Wednesday or Saturday.
'So I am absolutely sure that Chelsea will be recuperated and will be there. Tomorrow will be a difficult team with one or two days less of rest, but it will be exactly the same difficult team.'
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