Enzo Maresca has been left furious by Chelsea’s tight turnaround ahead of the Conference League final, with opponents Real Betis handed almost 48 hours longer to prepare.
Betis’s final game of the LaLiga season against Valencia has been moved to Friday night in order to give the Spanish side more rest before they meet Chelsea in Wroclaw next Wednesday.
The Premier League, however, stipulate that all matches on the final day of the season must kick off at the same time, meaning Chelsea do not face Nottingham Forest until 4pm on Sunday.
That is a huge game for the Blues, with Champions League qualification still on the line, while Betis have nothing to play for as they are already guaranteed to finish sixth. It is the timing of the matches, however, that has left Maresca fearing his team are at a disadvantage.
“I’m not happy, 100 per cent,” the Italian said. “You cannot allow a team 48 hours more than the other team when they play European final.
“I don’t know if it's from LaLiga, Premier League or Uefa, if I ask you if it’s normal to play a final where one team has 48 hours more than the other, it’s not normal.”
Asked whether Uefa ought to introduce rules banning national leagues from moving fixtures to help their own teams, he said: “Absolutely, yes.”
