Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has slammed La Liga's decision to allow Conference League final opponents Real Betis an extra two days of preparation by moving their next fixture.
The Blues face a huge game at Nottingham Forest on Sunday afternoon looking to earn a place in next season's Champions League. They then take on Betis in the Conference League final in Wroclaw, Poland on Wednesday, May 28, three days after the final day.
In Spain, La Liga concludes at the weekend but it is not customary for all teams to play at once. Betis' home fixture with Valencia, which was originally scheduled to be played on the same night as Chelsea's trip to Forest, has been brought forward two days to Friday, May 23 (8pm kick-off).
The fixture change means Betis will have 48 hours more to prepare for the European final over Chelsea. Manuel Pellegrini's side have nothing to play for in their final game of the 2024/25 season with Europa League football secured and they can no longer to catch teams in the Champions League spot.
On Tuesday, Maresca met the media to preview next week's Conference League final and the Italian was asked about Betis' advantage over his side.
"I'm not happy, 100%," he said when asked about the preparation.
"You cannot allow a team 48 hours more than the other team when you play in a European competition final." Asked if his team should be able to play on the Friday, he replied: "Or they play on Sunday, like us."
He added: "I don't know if it's from La Liga, the Premier League or UEFA. If I ask you if it is normal to play a final where the team has 48 hours more than the other team, it's not normal. It's not correct."
On the final itself, Maresca said: "The main target is to win again 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.
"We will try to prepare the game in our best and hopefully we can win the title."
He was also quizzed on who will be playing in goal, Filip Jorgensen or Robert Sanchez. Maresca will not deny Jorgensen the chance to play in a final having featured in the competition throughout the season.
"Filip is going to play the final because he played all the competition," Maresca added. "It will be unfair now if he doesn't play the final.
"For sure, Filip is going to play because he deserves to play."
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Cole Palmer of Chelsea celebrates scoring his team's second goal from the penalty spot with team mate Jadon Sancho during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Brighton & Hove Albion FC at Stamford Bridge on September 28, 2024
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