Chelsea may be favourites heading into Wednesday’s Conference League final against Real Betis, but one factor should make the Blues wary:
Spanish teams have been invincible in finals.
Since 2002, Spanish teams – including the national team – have played in 27 finals across the World Cup, European Championship, Champions League and Europa League/Uefa Cup and all 27 have had Spanish winners.
Four Spanish club sides have been defeated in that time, but in all cases by fellow La Liga sides.
The last time a non-Spanish team beat a Spanish one in a major final was in 2001 when Liverpool beat Alaves 5-4 in the Uefa Cup final and and Valencia lost the Champions League final to Bayern Munich.
Of the 27 finals since, 10 have seen an English team defeated by a Spanish team – including internationally in the final of Euro 2024 last summer.
It is this history that Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea will be vying to end in Wroclaw.
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