Chelsea is poised to win their first trophy under Enzo Maresca when they face Real Betis in the Conference League Final at the Warsaw Stadium in Poland.
Maresca’s men are looking to have a trophy-winning end to the season, having already secured Champions League football with a fourth-place finish in the Premier League at the weekend.
Other than the money and trophy that come with it, the other prize for winning the Conference League is automatic qualification to the Europa League but Betis are already qualified; thus, the match will just be about winning the title.
Should the Blues win it, they will become the second English side to win it behind David Moyes’ West Ham.
While Chelsea have been near immaculate in this competition, it would be unwise to write off Betis. The Spanish side, who are carried by on-loan Manchester United attacker Anthony, have enjoyed fine form in the competition too.
Form Guide
Betis are without a win in their last five matches in all competitions. They have managed four draws and one defeat. On the other hand, the Blues have four wins and one defeat in their last five matches.
Going by form, Maresca’s men will fancy themselves as favorites
Betis will hope history can repeat itself, the last time the teams met, the Spanish side managed a 1 – 0 win over a then Jose Mourinho-coached side in the group stage of the Champions League 20 years ago.
Players to watch
Both teams have players who can turn the tie on its head. Cole Palmer, having not been involved in the earlier stages of the competition, is available for Chelsea. There is no questioning his quality. Teenager Marc Guiu has been a revelation for Chelsea in this campaign with six goals to his name.
For Betis, they will bank on Anthony, who now looks like the player United paid millions to wrestle from Ajax. Should Anthony fail to tick, Congolese forward Cedric Bakambu is a sure source of goals, having managed to find the back of the net seven times in this campaign.
Betting Tips
Finals are hard to predict given their nature. A scoring draw is anticipated in regulation time, with the game being for anyone’s taking after.
