© EuroFootball.com
On Wednesday evening, at the "Phillips" stadium in Eindhoven, which can accommodate more than 36,000 spectators, the first winner of this season's European tournament will be revealed - the English club "Middlesbrough" and the team from Spain, "Sevilla," who will compete in the 35th UEFA Cup final, will seek to win the trophy won by Moscow's "CSKA" club last season.
(May 10th, 21:45 Lithuanian time - live on Viasat Sport 2)
The last time when English and Spanish clubs met in the UEFA Cup final, an impressive goal fest ended with "Liverpool" winning 5-4 against "Alaves." Regardless of how the final will end this year, a new name will be engraved on the trophy for the fourth time in four years. Both "Middlesbrough" and "Sevilla" are playing in a European tournament final for the first time, and both teams are heading to Eindhoven with high hopes.
"I looked at the schedule and noticed that many famous names and clubs have won this trophy. We also want our name to be on the cup, and I definitely want to be the coach who leads his players to victory," said "Middlesbrough" head coach Steve McClaren at a press conference a day before the match.
A bit more cautiously, the coach of "Sevilla," Juande Ramos, who has not won any major trophies since 1948 and has not played in any serious final tournaments since 1962, appreciated the incredible victories of "Middlesbrough" against "Basel" and "Steaua" clubs, respectively overcoming a three-goal deficit in the quarterfinals and semifinals.
"Just being here is amazing. It's a dream, and we are ready for these historic games for Seville and all of Andalusia," said J. Ramos, emphasizing the strength of their opponents - "A team that scores so many goals is a very serious opponent. Even when they were behind, they expected a miracle. They always fight, but we are confident that we have enough strength and skill to win this final. We trained well, and I hope the match will justify all the work we've done.".
This final will be the last time for S. McClaren, who is taking over as the coach of the England national team this summer, to lead the "Middlesbrough" team. According to the coach, his appointment last Thursday to new responsibilities did not disrupt the team's preparation, and he expressed a strong desire to bid farewell to the club triumphantly: "Finishing the job in the final and winning would be very, very special. The team was very focused, we had four matches in eight days - enough for the players to focus. We can't wait for this match. We prepare for our luck and seize the opportunity. We are now ready and have a chance."
While unlike "Middlesbrough," "Sevilla" had a successful season in the national league and is still fighting for a spot in the Champions League, S. McClaren gave the favorite label to their opponents, J. Ramos noted that his team will not have excessive confidence in their abilities: "We need to think positively. Lately, we have played well and are in a decent position in the league, but if we don't play our best, we won't win. Sometimes we relaxed too much, and the results were poor, but the players know that they will have to work hard from the first minute. You will see how good we are on the field."
Since the starting lineup will likely not include "Middlesbrough" striker Massimo Maccarone, who scored winning goals in the last minutes of the quarterfinal and semifinal matches, S. McClaren is likely to choose more experienced Mark Viduka and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink in the attacking front. Goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer will play with a protective mask due to a cheekbone injury, captain Gareth Southgate has recovered, but the team will be without long-term injured players Gaizka Mendieta and Emanuel Pogatetz.
The puzzle in the attacking front of the "Sevilla" team will also be on J. Ramos. Although S. McClaren identified Javier Saviola and Frederic Kanoute as the most dangerous weapons of the opponents, Kanoute, who recently recovered from an injury, still lacks playing practice, so alongside Argentine Saviola, Brazilian Luis Fabiano is likely to play. In general, there are no absences in the Spanish club, and defender Javi Navarro, who missed the semi-final match due to disqualification, will return to the lineup.
Probable starting lineups:
"Middlesbrough" (4-4-2): Schwarzer; Riggott, Southgate, Queudrue, Parnaby; Downing, Rochemback, Boateng, Taylor; Viduka, Hasselbaink
"Sevilla" (4-4-2): Palop; Alves, Navarro, Escude, Castedo; Navas, Marti, Maresca, Puerta; Saviola, Fabiano
