Europa League: Will Sevilla Deal Mourinho His First Career Final Loss?

Sevilla vs AS Roma

Sevilla are looking to win another Europa League trophy when they take on AS Roma in the final at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary. They got this far after beating Juventus in the semi-finals, while AS Roma are here after they eliminated Bayer Leverkusen via a slender margin.

Los Palanganas may be the winningest team in this competition with six trophies, but Jose Mourinho is in their way, and he has yet to lose in a final. So something has to give on Wednesday night.

The pre-game SBOTOP odds predict a close affair between these two sides, with Sevilla slightly favoured over AS Roma. Either way, football fans are in for a treat since we can expect numerous Europa League 2023 highlights from this game.

Talking Points

Sevilla still dangerous despite poor domestic run

No one would have expected Sevilla to be in the Europa League final given everything they’ve been through this season. They’re outside the La Liga Top 7, so they’ve got nothing to lose ahead of Wednesday.

Their main focus at this stage of the campaign will undoubtedly be winning the Europa League because a victory in the final would see them qualify for the Champions League next season.

After eliminating Juventus in the semi-finals, Sevilla hadn’t won in their last three La Liga games (D2, L1). They also lost key players due to red cards, although the good news is that it doesn’t apply here in the Europa League.

Still, Sevilla remain a dangerous customer because they have the quality to beat opponents. Once again, they’ll be led up front by Youssef En-Nesyri, their only double-digit scorer with 14 goals, with Erik Lamela and Rafa Mir flanking him on the wings (seven goals each).

First-choice centre-back Tanguy Nianzou is expected to be 100-per cent fit on Wednesday, likely replacing Nemanja Gudelj at centre-half. And in the midfield, Ivan Rakitic and Lucas Ocampos will pull the strings.

 Mourinho sweating on the fitness of AS Roma trio

Similar to Sevilla, AS Roma come into this game in lacklustre form, as they haven’t won in any of their last four matches across all competitions.

Their most recent result was a 2-1 defeat against Fiorentina in a match that saw them choke a 1-0 lead after Luka Jovic and Jonathan Ikone scored within the last five minutes to nullify Stephan El Shaarawy’s early goal.

Jose Mourinho is hoping to have a full squad to choose from on Wednesday. Right now, he is waiting for updates about Paulo Dybala, Lorenzo Pellegrini, and Leonardo Spinazzola.

Dybala suffered an ankle sprain in their loss against Atalanta last April following a crunch tackle by Jose Luis Palomino. Lorenzo Pellegrini was rested against Fiorentina, while Leonardo Spinazzola is dealing with a muscular issue.

But reports from Italy claim that the three of them are improving, so it’s likely that they’ll be in the squad for the Europa League final.

History

Sevilla and AS Roma are set to meet in Europe for the second time ever. Their last meeting saw the La Liga side win 2-0 in the Round of 16 of the 2019-20 Europa League, which was the last season in which Sevilla won the tournament.

Los Palanganas have reached the final of the Europa League for the seventh time, which is at least two more than any other club. They have yet to lose in the final of this particular competition (2006, 2007, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2020).

On the other hand, AS Roma are in the Europa League final for the second time ever. The last time they got this far was in 1991, when they lost to Inter Milan 2-1 on aggregate. Overall, this is their fifth major European final in club history (1961, 1984, 1991, and 2022).

This will be the 14^th time a Spanish side faces an Italian side in a European final. The head-to-heads are in favour of Spain, as they were crowned champions nine of the previous 13 times, including each of the last three in a row.

Betting Tip 

Predicting the winner of the 2022-23 Europa League final is a tough call. The updated Europa League 2023 odds had Sevilla at 2.45, while AS Roma aren’t far behind at 2.87, and a draw after 90 minutes is at 2.90 in the 1X2 market.

So, instead of choosing between these two, we will take a look at the possible goal count, and we’re going for Total Goal 2-3 at 1.86 given its decent payout.

 

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