Chelsea is confronted with real betis in the final of the Conference League.
The Spanish football expert Andy West gives the Lowdown at the Seville-based club and reveals their similarities with a Premier League side.
Real betis are seen as a regional powerhouse and attracts an average presence of more than 50,000 loyal fans.
They also have a passionate wider fan base spread throughout the country, which show their famous striped shirts as a proud symbol of identity.
But their status of Grote Club is rarely matched by success on the field, with different stints in the second layer that tested the patience of long -suffering supporters.
Yes, there is a strong case to claim that Betis is the equivalent of Spain of Newcastle United.
And after Toon's Trophy -Driede ended with the Carabao Cup Glory Cup of March, Betis fans pray that the comparison continues while looking for European silverware in the Conference League final against Chelsea of ​​Enzo Maresca.
The Spanish side enjoys the most consistently successful spell in their history and qualified every season for Europe since the 2020 arrival of coach Manuel Pellegrini.
They also claimed domestic silverware and won the Copa del Rey in 2022.
But the Blues Clash is a first chance of Continental Glory for a club that never went beyond the European quarterfinals until this season.
Chelsea vs Real Betis – Conference League Final Stream and TV -Info
There is a big difference between Betis and Newcastle on the subject of success that the first has a big rival in their own city.
And it is cross-Town Sevilla who has caught the headlines in recent years by winning the Europa League seven times since 2006.
Betis, however, is better supported by the two clubs, as Sevilla -resident Javier Gancedo explained: “Within the city there is an even distribution between Betis and Sevilla fans.
“But in the rest of Andalusia, nobody else supports Sevilla because they are the traditional team of the ruling class of the city that checked everything.
“On the other hand, betis have always been for the working class. And their green and white colors are the same as the Andalusia flag, which show how they represent people from the entire region.”
Andalusia saw around 1.5 million people emigrating in the 1950s and 1960s to find work in cities such as Madrid and Barcelona. They brought their love for betis.
Andalusia is culturally unique – tapas and flamenco, hot sun and hotter emotions, fed by strong traces of Muslim and gypsy cultures.
That mix comes together – expressive and creative football is a given, the best embodied in the best player ever Joaquin of the club.
When he retired two years ago after 528 performances, the winger said: “We Betico's are different. It is a way of life united by passion and love … a very different way to see football.”
Their fans have a heart -warming Christmas tradition to throw soft toys on the field during the break, so that they can be gathered and donated to local disadvantaged children.
Exchange the fog on the Tyne for burning sunshine and exchanging Geordie grit for the Spanish flair. But the intensity of support – and the long wait for silverware – is the same.
And if the comparison between Newcastle and Betis continues with a trophy, the parties will be just as memorable.