The Japan Times - Chelsea's Maresca fumes over Betis fixture change ahead of Conference League final

Maresca was frustrated to discover Betis have changed their last match of the La Liga season from Sunday to Friday.

Chelsea have to wait until Sunday for their Premier League finale at Nottingham Forest.

With Chelsea facing Betis in the Conference League final in Wroclaw on Wednesday, Maresca believes the Spanish side have been given an unfair advantage.

The Italian's concern is exacerbated because Chelsea need to beat Forest to ensure they qualify for next season's Champions League by finishing in the Premier League's top five.

Fourth-placed Chelsea are one point ahead of seventh-placed Forest and sit above fifth-placed Aston Villa on goal difference.

In contrast to Chelsea's do-or-die clash, Betis have nothing to play for when they face Valencia, with Manuel Pellegrini's team already certain to finish sixth.

"I'm not happy, one hundred per cent. You cannot allow a team 48 hours more than the other team when you play a European final," Maresca told reporters on Tuesday.

Asked whether Chelsea should be allowed to play Forest on Friday, he said: "Or Betis play Sunday, like us."

Despite Maresca's complaints, UEFA have limited jurisdiction over the scheduling of domestic fixtures.

The Premier League has a long-standing policy that all 10 final-day games kick off simultaneously on a Sunday afternoon.

La Liga has no such tradition and Betis' game is the only one of the final round of games brought forward to Friday.

"I don't know if it's from La Liga, from the Premier League or from UEFA," Maresca said.

"If I ask you is it normal to play a final where a team has 48 hours more than the other team? It's not normal. It's not something correct.

Asked whether UEFA needed to apply clearer rules, he replied: "Absolutely yes."

The final showdown in Poland pits Maresca against former Manchester City manager Pellegrini, who he describes as his "professional dad".

The Betis boss managed Maresca during his time as a player at Malaga before employing him as an assistant when he was in charge at West Ham between 2018 and 2019.

Maresca revealed he sought the advice of Pellegrini before he accepted the Chelsea job last June.

"I spent four years with Manuel," said Maresca. "He's a reference for me because of his career and especially because in terms a human being, he is a top person.

"I define him like a professional dad because many times when I've needed to take a big decision, we are in contact.

"I spoke with Manuel yesterday. We are so close."

Maresca confirmed that goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen would start the final instead of the error-prone Robert Sanchez as he has played throughout the entire European season.

"Filip is going to play the final because he played all the competition so it would be unfair not to play in the final," he said.

H.Takahashi--JT