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As the season is coming to an end, only a few unknowns remain. This Wednesday, another champion will be revealed. This time - the UEFA Europa League. The final will be played at the Juventus Stadium in Turin, Italy, between Lisbon's "Benfica" and "Sevilla" clubs.
"Sevilla" - "Benfica" Tournament: UEFA Europa League Stadium: Juventus Stadium, Turin, Italy Referee: Felix Brych Date and Time: 2014-05-14, 21:45 Lithuanian time
The Lisbon "Benfica" footballers coached by Jorge Jesus will try to break the legendary Hungarian Bela Guttman's curse and win trophies in the European tournament after more than 50 years. The Hungarian, who won the European Cup with the Portuguese team in 1961 and 1962, left the club due to conflicts and stated that they would not be able to win a European trophy in the next 100 years.
Since then, the Lisbon club has lost in 8 continental tournament finals. This curse also affected them last season when they lost 1-2 to London's "Chelsea" in the Europa League final. However, unlike last season, this season "Benfica" is considered a favorite in the pair.
However, "Sevilla" footballers have already won the UEFA Europa League trophies twice, and they did it consecutively in 2006 and 2007. At that time, the team was led by Juande Ramos.
The road to the finals On their way to the Europa League final, the Lisbon footballers did not have the easiest path, but it all started in the UEFA Champions League tournament. J.Jesus's players finished third in Group C due to goal difference and failed to reach the Champions League quarter-finals but secured a place in the Europa League.
In the Europa League, "Benfica" footballers started with a 16th-final against the Greek team PAOK, which they easily eliminated (4-0). Later, they faced a tough challenge from Tottenham. A victory at White Hart Lane allowed J.Jesus's players to celebrate a victory with a total score of 5-3 and advance to the quarter-finals.
There, "Benfica" eliminated the Dutch team AZ without much difficulty (3-0), and in the semi-finals, they faced the Turin Juventus players who sought to win trophies at their own stadium. However, a victory of 2-1 in Lisbon was enough for "Benfica" to reach the tournament final.
There they will meet the Sevilla FC footballers, who started in the Europa League group stage, unlike their future opponents. In Group C, Unai Emery's players finished first, ahead of the "Slovan Liberec," "Freiburg," and "Estoril" clubs.
In the round of 16, "Sevilla" defeated the Slovenian team Maribor after a tense battle with a total score of 4-3, and in the quarter-finals, they faced a derby against the Sevilla Real Betis club. This match required a penalty shootout, but U.Emery's players smiled at victories, earning them a place in the quarter-finals.
There, the Spaniards met another Portuguese team, Porto. After losing away, Sevilla crushed the opponents at home with a score of 4-1 and reached the semi-finals. There they faced another Spanish showdown. Thanks to an away goal, Sevilla eliminated Valencia from the tournament.
Local battles This season was excellent for Lisbon's "Benfica" footballers in Portugal. J.Jesus led the team to victory in the national championship - "Benfica" won their 33rd "Primeira" champions title, distancing themselves by 7 points from their closest pursuers.
The team did not stop at just one trophy. The Lisbon club also won the league cup ("Taca da Liga"), defeating the "Rio Ave" footballers in the tournament final with a score of 2-0. In addition, "Benfica" reached the final of the Portuguese Cup ("Taca de Portugal"), where they will face the same "Rio Ave" team, so the team can win up to four trophies this season.
Meanwhile, the Sevilla FC team, as predicted before the season, remained outside the top four in the Spanish championship. In the final round, U.Emery's players may concede the 5th position to the "Real Sociedad," but they do not have the chance to rise to the 4th position, ensuring a place in the UEFA Champions League.
The Sevilla club did not advance far in the "Copa del Rey" tournament. U.Emery's team had to admit defeat to the "Racing Santander" in the first stage of the cup.
Leaders and Losses This winter, Lisbon's "Benfica" lost one of the team's leaders, Nemanja Matic, who moved to Chelsea in London, but the club was replenished with several capable players who helped the team achieve the highest results both locally and in Europe.
The attackers Lima and Rodrigo (15 and 19 goals respectively) have been pushing the team forward this season, and the young Serbian Lazar Markovic and the experienced Oscar Cardozo have made significant contributions. In the defensive line, Nicolas Gaitan and Enzo Perez stand out the most, and the strongest defensive pillars are the veteran Luisao and Ezequiel Garay.
In the final match, J.Jesus will have to manage without Enzo Perez since the Argentine is suspended, as well as the defender Eduardo Salvio and forward L. Markovic. Due to injury, the team will also be without the defender Silvio and the midfielder Lubomir Fejsa.
On the other side of the barricade, serious losses were experienced before the season. Jesus Navas and Alvaro Negredo left the team for Manchester City, so U.Emery's team needed new leaders.
One of the unquestionable leaders of the team can be called the Croatian Ivan Rakitic, who attracted the attention of Real Madrid playing as a midfielder. This season, he provided 12 assists for the team and scored 13 goals himself.
A.Negredo was excellently replaced by the forward Kevin Gameiro, who moved from Paris St.Germain and scored 20 goals, while Carlos Bacca, who scored 18 times, supports him in the attacking line. However, it is unclear whether K.Gameiro will be able to play in the final as the player has knee problems.
The defenders Denis Cheryshev and Sebastian Cristoforo, who are recovering from injury, will also not be able to help the team, while Jairo is suspended. It is also uncertain whether another important player, Vitolo, will be able to play in the final. However, it is predicted that he will appear on the field.
Predicted lineups: "Sevilla": Beto; Coke, Fazio, Pareja, Navarro; Carrico, Mbia, Reyes, Vitolo, Rakitic; Bacca. "Benfica": Moraes; Siqueira, Luisao, Garay, Pereira; Gaitan, Gomes, Amorim, Djuricic; Lima, Rodrigo.
