Chelsea v Real Betis: Cole Palmer warns 'anything can happen in a final' as manager Enzo Maresca eyes springboard for success

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Chelsea can win their first trophy since lifting the UEFA Champions League in 2021 when they take on La Liga side Real Betis in Wednesday's UEFA Conference League final in Poland. Ahead of Wednesday's showdown in Wroclaw - which will be live on TNT Sports and discovery+ - both star player Cole Palmer and manager Enzo Maresca have warned their team-mates that "anything can happen" in a final.

Conference League has helped Chelsea build ‘winning mentality’ - Maresca

Video credit: TNT Sports

Cole Palmer has warned his team-mates that anything can happen in a final ahead of Chelsea's UEFA Conference League showdown with Real Betis, while manager Enzo Maresca wants to use it as a springboard for success.

The Blues have not won a trophy since their UEFA Champions League triumph in 2021.

Star midfielder Palmer may only be 23, but going into Wednesday's clash with Betis - in a game that will be live on TNT Sports and discovery+ - he is clearly very aware of how unpredictable finals can be.

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"Anything can happen in a final. It doesn't matter who you play or where it is," Palmer told TNT Sports.

"I'm excited to play. It will be big for the club, for all of us players, to start with a trophy, especially in the manager's first season."

‘Quite clear' how Betis will play says Maresca ahead of meeting with friend Pellegrini

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Chelsea have used a number of academy youngsters in their run to the final, as they look to complete the set of European trophies.

Palmer has revealed he is happy to give the younger players words of encouragement when they enter the fray.

"When a young lad has come on, I just tell them be confident. They wouldn't be here if the manager didn't think they could play.

"If I can help them, I'll help them, but I try and just let them be."

Maresca's first season as Chelsea manager will end on a winning note if his team can produce the goods in the Polish city of Wroclaw.

He was reminded that when Jose Mourinho won the EFL Cup in his first season as Chelsea manager two decades ago, it was the start of a run of success.

"It is so important for us to win a title. It can be a good starting point for the future," Maresca said.

"A final in the end is a final. It's one game - anything can happen."

Conference League trophy would be ‘big for the club’ - Palmer

Video credit: TNT Sports

Maresca knows Betis manager Manuel Pellegrini very well - he played under him at Malaga and, in more recent times, was part of the Chilean's coaching team at West Ham.

And there are unlikely to be any secrets when the pair do battle for a European trophy.

"The thing about Manuel is he's not going to change. He loves [his] football in one way," Maresca said. "So it's quite clear what they're going to do, in the way they're going to do it.

"I never saw [both of us making the final] to be honest. A month ago, speaking with Manuel, we were joking and laughing, [saying] we'll see each other in the final. And in the end, it came true."

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