Why Romeo Lavia is not in Chelsea Conference League final squad as UEFA rules explained

Chelsea boss will be busy weighing up which starting line-up to select for the Europa Conference League final this week.

The will face the Spanish outfit in the final of the Conference League in Poland on Wednesday night, as they aim to conclude their season with a major trophy in their possession.

The Wroclaw Stadium will host the Conference League final between and Betis, with the Blues earning a spot in the showpiece fixture thanks to a victory over Djurgarden in the semi-final.

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Maresca will have some decisions to make on which players he selects to start the fixture in Poland on Wednesday night.

One player who will not be available is , who has proved to be a vital member of the squad this term.

Lavia helped Chelsea finish fourth in the Premier League this season, which saw the club qualify for the Champions League in the process.

However, the midfielder will not be available for the Conference League final after not being named in the List A squad for the tournament, as reported by the Daily Mail earlier this month.

Chelsea are unable to make changes to the List A squad once it was confirmed for the knockout stages of the competition back in February.

The Blues can add players to their List B squad, though, up until 11pm on Tuesday night, the evening before the fixture.

However, Lavia does not meet the requirements to be named in the List B squad. Even though the midfielder was born after January 1, 2003 - which is one of the requirements - Lavia has not been at Chelsea for long enough to be eligible for selection and so will not be available to face Betis.

Chelsea are hoping to use the momentum from Sunday's 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest to help them over the line and add another European trophy to their cabinet.

They secured a place in the Premier League's top four and with it qualification to the Champions League after a two-year absence from European football's premier competition.

"I didn't have any doubt, to be honest, about the players, I said that the doubt was from outside," Maresca said after the game at the City Ground.

"All the ones that (think) they are the answer, or all the ones that they are the truth, they were saying that we are too young, we are not good enough.