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Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Chelsea's Maresca fumes at Real Betis having 48 hours longer to prepare for final
Enzo Maresca has hit out at Real Betis being given an extra two days to prepare for the Uefa Conference League final against Chelsea. Maresca, whose immediate focus is on ensuring that his side seal Champions League qualification when they visit Nottingham Forest on Sunday, did not hide his displeasure at the scheduling around next Wednesday's clash with Betis in Wroclaw. Chelsea's head coach claimed it is unfair for the Spanish club to be playing on Friday night when they end their La Liga campaign by hosting Valencia. Advertisement Betis have nothing to play for in the league and will have more time to rest before the final, whereas Chelsea will have little time to recover from their daunting trip to the City Ground on the final day of the Premier League season. The Stamford Bridge club must beat Forest to guarantee their place in the top five but Maresca is also looking to claim silverware in his first year in charge. ''I am not happy, 100%,' the Italian said. 'You cannot allow a team 48 hours more time when they are playing a European final. 'I don't know if it's [down to] the Premier League, La Liga or Uefa but it is not normal to play a team who has had 48 hours more time than you. Maresca was asked if Uefa should have intervened and made Betis play on Sunday. 'It is not correct,' he said. 'I don't know who it is but there should be rules, absolutely yes.' Nicolas Jackson is missing through suspension against Forest, leaving Chelsea without their main striker. Christopher Nkunku and Marc Guiu have returned to training but Maresca said that neither forward is at full fitness yet. He added that Chelsea's reserve goalkeeper Filip Jörgensen, who has played throughout the Conference League, will not step aside for Robert Sánchez against Betis. 'Filip is going to play in the final,' he said. 'He's played all competition, it would be unfair to take him out now. It will be Filip plus 10 players, I'm not sure who else will play. He deserves to play in the final.'
Straits Times
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Maresca fumes as Betis get 48-hour Conference League final advantage
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said on Tuesday that he was unhappy after LaLiga accepted a request from Real Betis to move their final league game forward two days to Friday, giving the club more time to prepare for the Conference League final. Chelsea visit fellow Champions League hopefuls Nottingham Forest for their final Premier League game of the season on Sunday, two days after Conference League final opponents Betis play Valencia. "I'm not happy, 100%, you cannot allow another team 48 hours more when you play a European final," Maresca told reporters. "(Either we play Friday) or they play Sunday like us. I don't know if it is from LaLiga, the Premier League or UEFA, but if you ask people in this room if it is normal to play a final where another team has 48 hours more to prepare, it is not normal." Maresca also confirmed that Filip Jorgensen would start in goal for Chelsea in the Conference League final. The 23-year-old Swedish-Danish keeper has started all but one game in the competition. Spaniard Robert Sanchez has been Chelsea's first-choice keeper in the Premier League, playing 31 games this season. "Filip is going to play the final because he played all the competition. It will be unfair now if he doesn't play the final. For sure, Filip is going to play because he deserves to play," Maresca said. Strikers Christopher Nkunku and Marc Guiu remain doubtful for the showdown in the Polish city of Wroclaw on May 28 due to injury. "Guiu and Nkunku are in the sessions but are still not 100%," Maresca said. "For each game, we try to play our strongest XI. In the Conference League, we have played with different players and we will see for the final," he added. Chelsea, fourth in the Premier League with 66 points, are chasing their first trophy under Maresca. The West London club appointed the Italian in June after he guided Leicester City to the English Championship title in his first season in charge. The final is also a chance for Chelsea to add another major European trophy to their collection, having won the Champions League, Europa League, Cup Winners' Cup and Super Cup all twice each. "The main target is to win a European competition with Chelsea. It's important for the club at this moment, for the fans, for everyone, because it means we are going in the right direction," Maresca said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Hindu
20-05-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Enzo Maresca 'not happy' at Chelsea having limited time to prep for Conference League final
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has expressed his unhappiness at his team getting two fewer days to prepare for the Conference League final compared to Spanish opponent Real Betis. While Betis plays its final La Liga match on Friday against Valencia, Chelsea closes its Premier League campaign on Sunday – three days before the Conference League final in Wroclaw, Poland – against Nottingham Forest. It's a huge game for Chelsea, too, with Champions League qualification on the line for both teams at the City Ground. 'I'm not happy, 100%,' Maresca said on Tuesday at a news conference. 'You cannot allow a team 48 hours more than the other team when you play a European competition final.' ALSO READ | Europa League final: A chance for Man United, Tottenham to salvage season, win silverware and grab UCL spot UEFA, which organizes the Conference League, has no say on when domestic league competitions hold their matches. Chelsea will be unable to bring forward its match against Forest to Friday because the Premier League wants all of its fixtures in the final round to be held at the same time. So Maresca has another idea. 'Or they (Betis) play Sunday like us,' he said with a smile. Maresca also added that Filip Jorgensen will start in goal for Chelsea. The 23-year-old Swedish-Danish keeper has started all but one game in the competition. Spaniard Robert Sanchez has been Chelsea's first-choice keeper in the Premier League, playing 31 games this season. 'Filip is going to play the final because he played throughout the competition. It will be unfair now if he doesn't play the final. For sure, Filip is going to play because he deserves to play,' Maresca told reporters. Meanwhile, strikers Christopher Nkunku and Marc Guiu remain doubtful for the showdown on May 28 due to injury. (With inputs from Reuters)
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Chelsea's Maresca fumes at Real Betis having 48 hours longer to prepare for final
Enzo Maresca has hit out at Real Betis being given an extra two days to prepare for the Uefa Conference League final against Chelsea. Maresca, whose immediate focus is on ensuring that his side seal Champions League qualification when they visit Nottingham Forest on Sunday, did not hide his displeasure at the scheduling around next Wednesday's clash with Betis in Wroclaw. Chelsea's head coach claimed it is unfair for the Spanish club to be playing on Friday night when they end their La Liga campaign by hosting Valencia. Betis have nothing to play for in the league and will have more time to rest before the final, whereas Chelsea will have little time to recover from their daunting trip to the City Ground on the final day of the Premier League season. The Stamford Bridge club must beat Forest to guarantee their place in the top five but Maresca is also looking to claim silverware in his first year in charge. ''I am not happy, 100%,' the Italian said. 'You cannot allow a team 48 hours more time when they are playing a European final. 'I don't know if it's [down to] the Premier League, La Liga or Uefa but it is not normal to play a team who has had 48 hours more time than you. Maresca was asked if Uefa should have intervened and made Betis play on Sunday. 'It is not correct,' he said. 'I don't know who it is but there should be rules, absolutely yes.' Nicolas Jackson is missing through suspension against Forest, leaving Chelsea without their main striker. Christopher Nkunku and Marc Guiu have returned to training but Maresca said that neither forward is at full fitness yet. He added that Chelsea's reserve goalkeeper Filip Jörgensen, who has played throughout the Conference League, will not step aside for Robert Sánchez against Betis. 'Filip is going to play in the final,' he said. 'He's played all competition, it would be unfair to take him out now. It will be Filip plus 10 players, I'm not sure who else will play. He deserves to play in the final.'
Daily Mirror
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
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. '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." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
