Enzo Maresca has confirmed that Filip Jorgensen will start ahead of Robert Sanchez in next week’s UEFA Conference League final against Real Betis.
The Danish ‘keeper has started 11 of the 12 Conference League matches in the Road to Wroclaw, with the only absence coming against Copenhagen in the Last-16 first-leg.
However, he has featured in just six of 37 Premier League games as Sanchez has kept his place as the Blues’ number one goalkeeper.
Despite this, the Spaniard has five errors leading to goals this season – equal in first with Arijanet Muric and Bart Verbruggen – leading to calls to install Jorgensen as number one.
Maresca said: “For each game we try to play our strongest XI. So if during the season we play Conference League with a different team or different players, but we were sure at that moment that for that game it wasn’t the strongest one, we’ll see for the final.
“Yeah, now Filip is going to play in the final, because he played all the competition. So it’s unfair now that you are already in the final and he’s not playing in the final.”
Chelsea’s opponents have had their final La Liga fixture of the season, against Valencia, moved to Friday 23 May.
This means that Betis now have an extra 48 hours to prepare for the occasion compared to the Blues, who play on Sunday 25 May.
In 2013/14, Chelsea faced Atletico Madrid in the Champions League semi-final after a match against Liverpool on the Sunday, yet Atletico had their match moved to the Friday to give them an advantage.
Maresca fumed: “I don’t know if it’s from La Liga, from the Premier League or from UEFA. I think, I don’t know how many we are in this room, but if I ask you if it’s normal to play a final when a team has 48 hours more than the other team, it is not normal, it’s not something correct.
“Now, if it’s the UEFA, La Liga or the Premier League, I don’t know.”
Nicolas Jackson will be available for selection to lead the line despite his suspension for the remainder of the league season, as UEFA suspensions are seperate from domestic bans.
This is a bonus for the Blues, as alternative attacking options in Christopher Nkunku and Marc Guiu remain unfit to play, which would have forced Tyrique George to play upfront as he did against Manchester United.
Maresca said: “At the moment Marc Guiu and Christopher Nkunku, they start to take part in our session, but they are both still not 100%.”