Real Betis have been shown an act of grace by La Liga ahead of facing Chelsea in the Europa Conference League final.
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Chelsea are set to face a Real Betis outfit with fresher legs than expected in the Europa Conference League final next week as La Liga has acted in a bid to help the Spanish outfit win the tournament.
The Blues face Real Betis at the Wrocław Stadium on Wednesday, June 28 as Enzo Maresca looks for his first piece of silverware as Chelsea manager. The London outfit overcame Djurgarden in the semi-final with their opponents getting the better of Fiorentina.
Chelsea take on Nottingham Forest on Sunday as the Premier League campaign finishes for the 2025/26 season. That’s an important fixture for Maresca with the Champions League places still not decided - Forest sit in seventh but are just one point off Chelsea and Newcastle United in fourth and third.
La Liga move Real Betis fixture in blow for Chelsea
It’s set to be a manic end to the league season but that won’t be the case for Real Betis. The Spanish outfit was due to play in La Liga on Sunday night against Valencia in a fixture that already had little riding on it. Real Betis have already secured a Europa League group stage place and are guaranteed to finish sixth with their opponents in mid table.
As a result, La Liga has moved the match. BBC reporter Nizaar Kinsella wrote on social media platform X: “La Liga have allowed Real Betis to move their fixture against Valencia to Friday instead of Sunday night. It gives two more days to prepare for the Conference League final. There is nothing on the game after Betis lost to Atletico Madrid. Valencia are also mid-table.”
That’s a major boost for Real Betis, who are managed by former Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini. Ideally, for Chelsea, their opponents would have gone into the Conference League final with more wearisome legs.
Why Premier League won’t move Nottingham Forest v Chelsea
The Premier League has already proven it can act favourably towards UK teams in European competitions but won’t move Chelsea’s match against Nottingham Forest with all fixtures on the final day of the season kicking off at the same time to ensure fairness.
Tottenham Hotspur did ask the Premier League to move their match against Aston Villa last weekend to allow for more time ahead of the Europa League final against Manchester United in Bilbao on Wednesday. A statement from the league earlier this month read: “The Premier League match between Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur has been given a new date of Friday 16 May, kicking off at 19:30 BST.
“This is following a request from Spurs in view of their potential participation in the UEFA Europa League final on Wednesday 21 May. Additionally, the match between Chelsea and Manchester United, also taking place on Friday 16 May, will now kick off at 20:15 BST. Both matches remain live on Sky Sports in the UK.”
In other news, Chelsea's remaining fixture compared to Newcastle United, Aston Villa and others after fresh twists.