An unexpected final takes place tonight: Real Betis vs. Chelsea in the UEFA Conference League. It is reasonable to consider Chelsea as favourites: the London side is one of the largest in Europe and has won the Champions League twice, Europa League twice, and Premier League six times, while the Seville side had never reached an European final of any kind, with their biggest trophies this century are winning Spanish Copa del Rey in 2022, 2005... and winning Second Division in 2015 and 2011.
It is almost shocking to see Chelsea playing the final of a third-tier UEFA competition, and coming to the final, Chelsea has shown their superiority only losing one match, scoring 41 goals and only conceding 11 goals. However, when you compare their seasons, they are not too far apart: Chelsea ended up fourth with 68 points in Premier League - securing place for Champions League next year - and Betis ended sixth with 60 points, securing Europa League spot next year.
Betis also has one of the sharpest strikers in all of European leagues recently, the Brazilian Antony, who has improved hugely since coming from Manchester United, where he "lost the will to play".
Chelsea vs. Betis head to head
This will not be the first time the English and Spanish side face each other. There have been four other games, with Chelsea leading the head-to-head 3-1. The more recent was the group stage of the Champions League 2005/06, with Chelsea (coached by Mourinho at the time) winning in London 4-0, and Betis winning in Seville 1-0.
At the end of the group stage, Betis was third in the group behind Liverpool and Chelsea. Chelsea ended up eliminated by eventual winner Barcelona in the round of 8, and Betis, relegated to UEFA Cup, was eliminated by FC SB from Bucharest in round of 16, with Sevilla, the other team in Seville, winning that year.
The other two matches where in the Cup Winner's Cup in 1997/98, with Betis losing 1-2 at home and Chelsea winning 3-1 at home. Chelsea went on to win the competition against Stuttgart.
When and were to watch UEFA Conference League final
The final is on Wednesday, May 28, at 20:00 BST, 21:00 CEST, at the Wrocław Stadium in Wrocław, Poland. In the UK, you can watch it on TNT Sports. You can read a list of European broadcasters here.