The 2025 UEFAConference League**** final is fast approaching, with Chelsea facing Real Betis for the trophy in Wroclaw, Poland.
Enzo Maresca's team have been the bookies' favourite since the beginning of the competition, but they face an in-form Betis side in search of their first European honour.
Betis have surprised many in the competition, thanks to their blend of talented youth and experienced senior players.
Manchester United loanee Antony has undergone a resurgence since arriving at the club, while Isco brings creativity in midfield as well as a deep knowledge of European competitions from his time at Real Madrid.
Midfielder Pablo Fornals was also part of the West Ham team that won the competition in 2023, becoming just the second team to do so.
The final will also be exciting for both head coaches - with Maresca coming up against his 'professional dad', Manuel Pellegrini. The pair have remained in close contact since their time together at West Ham, and it will be interesting to see who emerges victorious, the student or the master.
Chelsea's have demonstrated the quality and ability of their young squad in this competition - and morale is high in the camp after they clinched Champions League football on Sunday, finishing fourth in the Premier League.
Maresca has already delivered one of his two targets, and can cap off a successful first year at the club with victory tomorrow night.
Here is Chelsea's route to the Conference League final:
League Phase
Chelsea 4-2 Gent
The Blues kicked off their group stage by welcoming Belgian side KAA Gent to the Bridge.
Maresca, as he did for several matches in the competition, named a B team lineup and offered minutes for several of the club's reserve players.
Renato Veiga and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall scored their first goals for the club, while Pedro Neto and Christopher Nkunku were also on target as Chelsea cruised to a 4-2 victory.
Veiga was the standout, turning in Mykhailo Mudryk's well placed cross and setting up a great chance in the second half. He has spent half of this season on loan at Juventus, and has fit snugly into their team.
Gent took advantage of a disorganised Blues defence to score two of their own, but did not trouble their opponents any further. They were later knocked out of the competition by Chelsea's opponents in the final, Real Betis, who won 3-1 on aggregate during the group knockout phase.
Panathinaikos 1-4 Chelsea
Next was a trip to Greece to face Panathinaikos.
Mudryk was the creator yet again, setting up Joao Felix for the opening goal, before getting on the scoresheet himself to give Chelsea a convincing 2-0 lead.
Felix added another with a deflected long range effort and Nkunku converted from the spot to make it 4-0 just before the hour mark - a late consolation goal by Facundo Pellistri gave the home fans something to cheer about, at least.
Chelsea 8-0 FC Noah
Back at home, it was shooting practice for Chelsea as they swept aside Armenian Premier League champions, FC Noah.
The damage was done before half time, with six goals scored in the first half and a further two in the second - the biggest scoreline in Conference League history.
Axel Disasi, Marc Guiu, Tosin Adarabioyo and Mykhailo Mudryk all got on the scoresheet, whilst Christopher Nkunku and Joao Felix added to their European goal tallies with a brace each.
It allowed Enzo Maresca the chance to rest several key players and introduce some younger talent off the bench: U21s midfielder Sam Rak-Sakyi was given his first professional minutes.
Noah failed to win five of their six group matches and failed to progress, but have notably remained supportive of the Blues on their social media.
Heidenheim 0-2 Chelsea
After a high-scoring opening to their Conference League campaign, scoring sixteen and conceding just three, a straightforward 2-0 victory over German side FC Heidenheim may feel out of place.
The familiar goalscoring duo of Mudryk and Nkunku came up with the goals - though the scoreline could have looked a lot different.
Goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen was put through his paces as the home side pressed and looked threatening for large parts of the game - having two goals ruled out for offside.
It was somewhat of a wake up call for Maresca's men, and a hint that the competition would not be a cake walk.
Astana 1-3 Chelsea
The final away trip of the group phase was the longest, travelling to frosty Kazakhstan to face Astana - as Chelsea produced a 3-1 victory amongst minus degree temperatures.
All the goals came in the first half - a fast brace by Marc Guiu and a header by Renato Veiga was enough to give the Blues all three points.
The pick of the goals was by Astana winger Marin Tomasov, who strode into the Chelsea box and placed a brilliant shot into the far corner - beating Jorgensen completely as it rebounded in off the post.
With several first-team players not risked to make the long journey, there were a slew of Cobham debutants in the second half, including Ato Ampah, Shim Mheuka, Kiano Dyer, and Harvey Vale - now playing his football at Queens Park Rangers.
Chelsea 5-1 Shamrock Rovers
Last but not least was Irish side Shamrock Rovers, who came into the game unbeaten with three wins and two draws.
Marc Guiu continued his hot scoring form with a first half hat-trick, while Christopher Nkunku set up goals for Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Marc Cucurella.
Rovers were threatening in the game, scoring early through midfielder Markus Poom, but gave away some cheap goals and looked shaky while building out from the back - resulting in the club narrowly missing out on automatic qualification via goal difference.
The win meant Chelsea were the only team in the competition to finish on maximum points, breaking the record for the most group stage goals in the competition with twenty-six.
Knockout Phase
Round-of-16: FC Copenhagen vs Chelsea (1-3 on aggregate)
Chelsea had been placed on a favourable side of the knockout ladder. Fiorentina and Real Betis had been touted as their biggest challengers for the trophy, but would not meet the Blues until the final - in fact, the two faced off at the semi-final stage, where Betis emerged as eventual winners.
Despite this, the Blues would still need to overcome several hurdles beforehand. Copenhagen would prove to be a challenging first test; the introduction of several key squad players including Cole Palmer, Reece James and Moises Caicedo signalled Maresca's intent to go all the way to Wroclaw.
The first leg, played in Denmark, was tense - the home side could have taken a one goal lead into half time through captain Viktor Claesson, but his shot bounced agonisingly off the post - a huge let off for Chelsea.
It was the other captain, Reece James, who would open the scoring through a well taken shot from outside the box - before Enzo Fernandez added a second off the bench.
The defecit was halved via a free kick, but Chelsea will have been happy with a victory away from home.
It was a much more settled performance at the Bridge - with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall scoring one of the goals of the tournament as he danced through several Copenhagen defenders before powering his shot into the far corner.
Through sheer persistence and grit, Chelsea pushed on.
Quarter Final’s - Chelsea vs Legia Warsaw (4-2 on aggregate)
Amongst discussions and debate that Chelsea's fan support could be louder, they travelled to Poland to face Legia Warsawa - a team who truly set the standard for stadium atmosphere.
A towering tifo of a lion being slain with the caption 'fear no one' loomed over the Blues in the first leg, and the noise was deafening for large periods of the game.
It would not matter, however, as Chelsea dominated the game and took a 3-0 lead back to London, thanks to a brace by Noni Madueke and a first senior goal for Tyrique George.
Legia head coach Goncalo Feio had suggested that their travelling fans could outsing Chelsea's home support in the second leg - and he was largely proved correct as his team were inspired to a shock 2-1 victory.
Tomas Pekhart opened the scoring after only ten minutes via a penalty, with defender Steve Kapuadi scoring the winner in the second half despite an initial Marc Cucurella equaliser.
Chelsea had plenty of opportunities to increase their goal tally but were frustrated by their opponents, who defended well and held on to their lead.
It would not be enough to overcome the deficit, but Legia could leave with their heads held high as they put an end to the Blues' unbeaten streak in the competition.
Semi Final’s - Chelsea vs Djurgardens IF (5-1 on aggregate)
Ahead of the semi final tie, Enzo Maresca said that he did not want to see a repeat of his team's second leg performance against Legia, and that they should not show signs of complacency at such a crucial stage of the season.
Swedish side Djurgardens IF had pulled off a miraculous comeback performance in their quarter-final meeting against Rapid Wien - taking the game to extra time in the second leg and scoring twice to progress.
It was the first ever European semi-final in their history - for Chelsea, this was a position almost everyone expected them to be in.
The Blues wasted no time and took the lead early through Jadon Sancho, before fellow winger Noni Madueke doubled the advantage before half time.
Maresca made four changes at the beginning of the second half - one of which, Nicolas Jackson, added two more goals in quick succession to give Chelsea a resounding lead.
The home fans did not leave empty handed - as substitute Isak Alemayehu thumped in a header to send the stadium into a frenzy, writing his name into the Djurgarden history books.
History was also made for Chelsea, as 16-year-old Reggie Walsh became the youngest starter in a European competition for the club - featuring in both legs. Enzo Maresca praised his technical ability and how well he suited the style of play.
A lone goal by Dewsbury-Hall in the second leg at Stamford Bridge was enough to seal their ticket to Wroclaw, and will give Enzo Maresca the opportunity to get his hands on a trophy for the second season in a row.