Maresca 'not happy' about limited time to prep for European final

LONDON (AP) — Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has expressed his unhappiness at his team getting two fewer days to prepare for the Conference League final compared to Spanish opponent Real Betis.

While Betis plays its final La Liga match on Friday against Valencia, Chelsea closes its Premier League campaign on Sunday – three days before the Conference League final in Wroclaw, Poland – against Nottingham Forest.

It’s a huge game for Chelsea, too, with Champions League qualification on the line for both teams at the City Ground.

“I’m not happy, 100%,” Maresca said on Tuesday at a news conference. “You cannot allow a team 48 hours more than the other team when you play a European competition final.”

UEFA, which organizes the Conference League, has no say on when domestic league competitions hold their matches.

Chelsea will be unable to bring forward its match against Forest to Friday because the Premier League wants all of its fixtures in the final round to be held at the same time.

So Maresca has another idea.

“Or they (Betis) play Sunday like us,” he said with a smile.

Tottenham and Manchester United meet in the Europa League final on Wednesday. They both played their most recent Premier League matches on Friday night.

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