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Today in the UEFA Europa League the final of the 2012/13 season will take place, where the winner between Lisbon's "Benfica" and London's "Chelsea" teams will be determined.
"Benfica" - "Chelsea" Tournament: Europa League Stadium: "Amsterdam ArenA" Referee: Bjorn Kuipers (Netherlands) Date and Time: 2013-05-15, 21:45 On Wednesday evening one team will enjoy glory, while the other will be sad. The teams have nowhere else to go, as the trophy is prepared only for one team. Which one? We will find out tonight. Benfica's road to the final Benfica started their journey in the Europa League in the round of 16, where they faced Leverkusen's Bayer. In the first match, Jorge Jesus's pupils played in Germany, where they celebrated a minimal victory with a score of 0-1, and also won in front of their own fans, this time with a score of 2-1. In the quarterfinals, the Portuguese team faced a match with the French team "Bordeaux". Here, a similar scenario unfolded for Benfica's players, who left the team from the Ligue 1 with a collective score of 4-2 on ice. In the next stage, the team from Lisbon faced the legendary English club Newcastle. The first match in Portugal was not difficult for the current finalist, and Benfica won with a score of 3-1. At home, the Newcastle club resisted, but a tie was not enough to advance to the semi-finals. The decisive battle took place in the semifinals, where Benfica had to test their strength against Istanbul's Fenerbahce. The first match took place in Turkey, where the hosts were victorious, but led by Oscar Cardozo, Benfica beat the visitors from Istanbul and reached the final with a score of 2-3.
Chelsea's road to the final Last season's UEFA Champions League winners failed to advance from the group stage this season and had to continue their fight in the Europa League. In the round of 16, Chelsea faced a match with Prague's Sparta. After a fierce confrontation, Rafael Benitez's team barely earned a ticket to the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals, Chelsea's players did not have an easy walk with Bucharest's Steaua. In the first match, the London team suffered a loss of 1-0, but they retaliated at home and celebrated a victory with a score of 3-1. In the semi-finals, the "Blues" almost said goodbye to the Europa League, but secured a spot in the semi-finals with a score of 5-4. Against Giedrius Arlauskis's Kazan Rubin team in the first match, they celebrated a convincing victory, but the Kazan club managed to respond in Russia, but the goals were not enough to eliminate Chelsea from the tournament. In the semi-finals, the London team faced Basel. Chelsea easily defeated the Swiss team in both matches and secured a spot in the final with a score of 5-2.
Teams' positions in the national championships For a long time, Benfica, which was in the leader's position in the Portuguese championship, played away with Porto over the weekend, which defeated the capital's team at the end of the match and rose to 1st place. With just one match left before the end of the championship, Porto acquired a one-point advantage over Benfica. Chelsea will likely remain in third place in the English Premier League and will play in the Champions League next season. On Saturday, led by R. Benitez, the Blues narrowly defeated Aston Villa and surpassed London's Arsenal by 2 points. Projected starting line-ups: Benfica: Arthur; Pereira, Luisao, Garay, Melgarejo; Matic, Perez; Salvio, Lima, Gaitan; Cardozo. Chelsea: Cech; Azpilicueta, Cahill, Ivanovic, Cole; Luiz, Ramires; Oscar, Mata, Moses; Torres. Previous two meetings: Chelsea 2 - 1 Benfica (Champions League, 2012) Benfica 0 - 1 Chelsea (Champions League, 2012)
