Under pressure to live up to their favourites tag, Chelsea compete against Real Betis in the final of the 2024-25 Conference League on Wednesday in Wroclaw.
Enzo Maresca's Blues will play in the Champions League no matter what next season after finishing fourth in the Premier League, but an unprecedented feat is on the line in Poland.
Indeed, the West London giants are aiming to become the first team to win all four major European club competitions, and they have prevailed in two-thirds of their previous showpiece appearances.
Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at Chelsea's record in their past 12 European finals ahead of Wednesday's battle with Betis.
1. 1970-71 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final | Chelsea 2-1 Real Madrid (after replay)
© Imago
Back in the days when finals would be settled by a rematch if necessary, Chelsea and Real Madrid had to go again in the 1970-71 Cup Winners' Cup final, as Los Blancos equalised in the 90th minute of the first encounter to rescue a 1-1 draw.
Both sets of players had just one day to recover before the replay in Piraeus, where John Dempsey and Peter Osgood - who was also on target in the first match - propelled the Blues to a 2-1 victory and their first continental crown.
2. 1997-98 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | Chelsea 1-0 Stuttgart
After coincidentally defeating 2024-25 Conference League final opponents Real Betis in the quarter-finals, Chelsea made it past Vicenza to set up a 1997-98 Cup Winners' Cup showpiece with German upstarts Stuttgart.
Mere seconds after entering the field, Blues icon Gianfranco Zola struck the first and only goal of the game, as Chelsea made it two for two in the Cup Winners' Cup soon before the competition was abolished.
3. 1998 UEFA Super Cup | Real Madrid 0-1 Chelsea
© Iconsport
Seeking a repeat of their Cup Winners' Cup success against Real Madrid 27 years prior, Chelsea met the then-reigning Champions League winners in the 1998 UEFA Super Cup, in the first game since the contest was changed from two legs to a one-off match.
Following 82 scoreless minutes, Gus Poyet latched onto Zola's pass and fired in the crucial goal at the Stade Louis II, as Chelsea kept the likes of Raul, Fernando Morientes and Roberto Carlos at bay.
4. 2007-08 Champions League final | Manchester United 1-1 Chelsea (a.e.t, Man United win 6-5 on penalties)
Proudly boasting three wins from their previous three European finals before the 2007-08 Champions League main event against Manchester United, Chelsea lost their 100% record in continental showpiece matches in the most gut-wrenching of circumstances.
One kick away from glory after Cristiano Ronaldo fluffed his lines from the spot, the slippery Moscow surface got the better of John Terry, before Edwin van der Sar's homework paid off as he kept out Nicolas Anelka's penalty to etch Man United's name onto the trophy again.
5. 2011-12 Champions League final | Bayern Munich 1-1 Chelsea (a.e.t, Chelsea win 4-3 on penalties)
For the second time in five seasons, Chelsea were taken to penalties in a Champions League final after a 1-1 draw in 120 minutes, but this time would be different in Bayern Munich's own backyard.
Juan Mata's opening miss proved inconsequential, as Petr Cech saved from Ivica Olic and Bastian Schweinsteiger before Didier Drogba did what he always did best in a Chelsea shirt, slotting the ball into the back of the net as the Blues became the first London club to conquer the Champions League.
6. 2012 UEFA Super Cup | Chelsea 1-4 Atletico Madrid
© Imago
Back in the traditional European curtain-raiser, Chelsea took on Europa League winners Atletico Madrid in the 2012 UEFA Super Cup, where they were slain by a striker who would go on to have an unremarkable spell at Stamford Bridge.
Indeed, Radamel Falcao had a hat-trick to his name by the 45th minute, and Brazilian centre-back Joao Miranda also got in on the act before Gary Cahill's meaningless consolation.
7. 2012-13 Europa League final | Benfica 1-2 Chelsea
© Imago
Rather than defend their Champions League title in 2012-13, having become the first-ever holders to be eliminated in the group stage, Chelsea dropped down a tier to compete in the Europa League final against Benfica.
There, Rafael Benitez's Blues restored some continental parity with a dramatic 2-1 win, in which Branislav Ivanovic - who memorably missed the 2012 Champions League final due to suspension - struck the crucial goal in the third minute of second-half injury time.
8. 2013 UEFA Super Cup | Bayern 2-2 Chelsea (a.e.t, Bayern win 5-4 on penalties)
Was it fate? Bayern Munich would certainly think so, as the German giants reunited with Chelsea in the 2013 Super Cup final after defeating Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League showpiece.
One year on from penalty heartache, Bayern experienced penalty happiness in Prague, winning 5-4 on penalties following an absorbing 2-2 draw, in which Javi Martinez equalised for the Bavarians in the 121st minute.
9. 2018-19 Europa League final | Chelsea 4-1 Arsenal
Chelsea supporters could have been forgiven for feeling slightly apprehensive about the 2018-19 Europa League final against Arsenal, whose head coach Unai Emery was a serial winner of the competition with Sevilla.
However, the Spaniard's side did not pose much of a challenge for Maurizio Sarri's Chelsea, who scored four second-half goals in the first-ever UEFA final fought between two teams from the same city.
10. 2019 UEFA Super Cup | Liverpool 2-2 Chelsea (a.e.t, Liverpool win 5-4 on penalties)
Yet another all-English European final, and one that lived up to the pre-game hype, Liverpool and Chelsea played out an engrossing 2-2 draw in the UEFA Super Cup to trigger another decisive penalty shootout.
After nine perfect spot kicks, the pressure was on Tammy Abraham to take the night to sudden death, but Adrian's outstretched leg denied the Englishman as the Reds lifted the trophy aloft in Istanbul.
11. 2020-21 Champions League final | Manchester City 0-1 Chelsea
At the conclusion of a campaign like no other - where the COVID-19 pandemic and European Super League destroyed a little bit of the game we all love - Chelsea brought European euphoria back to West London.
Thanks to Kai Havertz's winner, N'Golo Kante's monstrous midfield performance and Reece James's exemplary defensive display, Chelsea eked out a 1-0 UCL final win over Manchester City in 2021 and sat atop the continental throne for the second time.
12. 2021 UEFA Super Cup | Chelsea 1-1 Villarreal (a.e.t, Chelsea win 6-5 on penalties)
Avoiding the same fate as Premier League rivals Manchester United - who lost the 2020-21 Europa League final to Villarreal in an epic penalty shootout - Chelsea's spot-kick prowess came to the fore in that year's Super Cup.
Nothing could separate the sides in a 1-1 draw after 120 minutes, but after Kepa Arrizabalaga got his hands on Raul Albiol's final penalty, Chelsea got their hands on the trophy.
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Ben Knapton
