UEFA Conference League: Real Betis and Chelsea's route to the final

Chelsea are looking to end the season on a high with victory in Europe's third-tier club competition when they take on Spanish side Real Betis in the UEFA Conference League final on Wednesday.

The Blues have breezed through to this stage but now face a tougher test against Betis, who have just finished sixth in La Liga.

Betis are preparing for their first-ever European club final, while Chelsea are aiming to win their ninth continental trophy, having previously lifted the UEFA Champions League twice, Europa League twice, Cup Winners Cup twice and UEFA Super Cup twice.

Real Betis' route to the final

Play-off qualifying round:

• Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih (a) won 2-0

• Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih (h) won 3-0

League Phase:

• Legia Warsaw (a) lost 1-0

• FC Copenhagen (h) drew 1-1

• Celje (h) won 2-1

• Mlade Boleslav (a) lost 2-1

• Petroclub (a) won 1-0

• HJK (h) won 1-0

Knockout Phase play-offs:

• Gent (a) won 3-0

• Gent (h) lost 1-0

Round of 16:

• Vitoria de Guimaraes (h) drew 2-2

• Vitoria de Guimaraes (a) won 4-0

Quarter-finals:

• Jagiellonia Bialystok (h) won 2-0

• Jagiellonia Bialystok (a) drew 1-1

Semi-finals:

• Fiorentina (h) won 2-1

• Fiorentina (a) drew 2-2

Campaign kicked off in August

After finishing seventh in Spain in the 2023/24 season, Real Betis entered the UEFA Conference League at the play-off qualifying round stage, defeating Ukrainian side Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih comfortably over two legs, winning 5-0 on aggregate.

They then took their place in the revamped League Phase and it was not all plain sailing for the La Liga club, who were tipped to go far in the competition from the outset.

Early setbacks

Manuel Pellegrini's men began with a defeat and a draw, going down to Legia Warsaw before being held by FC Copenhagen, and it was only on matchday three, when they hosted little-known Slovenian side Celje, that they got their first win on the board.

However, another setback soon followed when they lost 2-1 at Czech outfit Mlade Boleslav and at that stage, Betis looked to be struggling to qualify amongst the top 24 for the knockout phase.

They found their form at the right time, though, and back-to-back wins over Petroclub and HJK sealed their place as one of the seeded teams in the knockout phase play-offs.

Gent despatched to seal last-16 spot

Gent were comfortably beaten 3-0 in the first leg of the play-off round and Betis had the luxury of losing the home leg 1-0 before taking on Vitoria de Guimaraes in the last 16.

The Portuguese side proved to be tricky opponents, as the first leg finished 2-2, before Pellegrini's side turned in their most impressive performance in the competition - winning 4-0 away.

Polish team Jagiellonia Bialystok were next up in the quarter-finals and a 2-0 first-leg win at home took them to within touching distance of the last four, rendering the 1-1 away leg result inconsequential.

Fiorentina overcome in tough semi

In the last four, Italian side Fiorentina, who had been runners-up in this competition for two years in a row, lay in wait and a tight tussle was anticipated over two legs.

And so it proved when the first leg finished 2-1 in Betis' favour, thanks to goals from Abdessamad Ezzalzouli and on-loan star Antony, before the away leg ended 2-2.

Chelsea's route to the final

Play-off qualifying round:

• Servette (h) won 2-0

• Servette (a) lost 2-1

League Phase:

• Gent (h) won 4-2

• Panathinaikos (a) won 4-1

• Noah (h) won 8-0

• Heidenheim (a) won 2-0

• Astana (a) won 3-1

• Shamrock Rovers (h) won 5-1

Round of 16:

• FC Copenhagen (a) won 2-1

• FC Copenhagen (h) won 1-0

Quarter-finals:

• Legia Warsaw (a) won 3-0

• Legia Warsaw (h) lost 2-1

Semi-finals:

• Djurgarden (a) won 4-1

• Djurgarsen (h) won 1-0

Early Servette defeat mattered little

Chelsea kicked off in the play-off round, too, beating Swiss side Servette 3-2 on aggregate, which included a 2-1 defeat away, before they routinely topped the table in the league phase.

Big wins over Gent, Panathinaikos and Noah marked Chelsea out as the best side in the competition and they didn't disappoint, finishing with six wins from six thanks to victories over Heidenheim, Astana and Shamrock Rovers.

Danish and Polish big guns swatted aside

Experienced Danish team FC Copenhagen were expected to provide more resistance in the last 16 but Chelsea won 3-1 on aggregate, before Polish opponents Legia Warsaw were beaten 5-1 over two games in the last eight.

Djurgarden no match in semis

In the semi-finals, the Blues were handed a favourable two-legged tie when paired with Swedish side Djurgarden and they outclassed their opponents, as expected.

A 4-1 away win, sealed thanks to goals from Jadon Sancho, Noni Madueke and a brace from Nicolas Jackson, was followed by a 1-0 home success to ensure Chelsea made the final with the minimum of fuss.

This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.