UEFA Europa League Final: Sevilla vs Inter Milan

Sevilla will take on Inter Milan in the Europa League final on Friday as both sides seek to end the season with some silverware in the trophy cabinet.

Photo Copyright – Steve Haag Sports 

The La Liga outfit will be looking to claim their sixth Europa League title after winning the trophy in 2006, 2007, 2014, 2015 and 2016. Meanwhile, the Italian giants are looking to claim their first European trophy since winning the Champions League in 2010.

Sevilla vs Inter Milan | Friday 21 August | Stadion Köln | 21:00

To Win
Sevilla 23/10
Draw 9/4
Inter Milan 12/10

Sevilla
Sevilla, the most successful club in the history of the Europa League, have enjoyed a fine 2019/20 campaign under the tutelage of former Spain boss Julen Lopetegui. Los Palanganas have already secured a spot in next season’s Champions League, courtesy a top four finish in La Liga and overcame much-fancied English sides Wolves and Manchester United in the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively to reach their fourth UEFA Europa League final in seven years.

The Spanish side were 2/1 outsiders against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team, but defied the odds to claim an impressive 2-1 victory. Dutch striker Luuk de Jong came on as a substitute and helped Los Palanganas to victory by scoring a late winner, while Moroccan shot-stopper Yassine Bounou, also known as Bono, produced a masterclass between the sticks.

Lopetegui’s men are now unbeaten in their last 20 games in all competitions since a 2-1 defeat to Celta Vigo in February (W11 D9), just the fourth different side within Europe’s top five leagues this season to enjoy such a run (also Bayern Munich, PSG & Real Madrid), while they have kept seven clean sheets in their last nine outings.

Lopetegui ought to line Sevilla up in a 4-3-3 formation once again, with Bounou in goal and Jules Kounde and Diego Carlos pairing up at the heart of the Sevilla defence once again, with their primary objective being to keep a check on the in-form Romelu Lukaku.

Jesus Navas and Sergio Reguilon will be the full-back duo, with both players posing a great deal of threat in the final third. Up ahead in midfield, the onus will be on Ever Banega to ensure Sevilla dominate the battle in the middle of the park. The Argentine will look to pull the strings seamlessly while also posing a threat with set-pieces.

Fernando will also hold the key for Sevilla, with the Brazilian’s task being negating the influence of Italian playmaker Nicolo Barella. Joan Jordan ought to be the third man in the middle of the park for Sevilla, with the Spaniard being the workhorse.

Finally, in attack, Youssef En-Nesyri is expected to spearhead the attack, despite De Jong scoring the decisive goal against Manchester United, alongside Suso and the club’s leading goal-scorer Lucas Ocampos.

Inter Milan
In Antonio Conte’s first season at the helm, Inter Milan came agonizingly close to winning the Serie A title, ultimately falling short by just one point to eventual champions Juventus. The Nerazzurri did not finish their domestic season in the best way possible, dropping some questionable points, hence, the Europa League comes as an opportunity for Conte’s men to make this season memorable.

The Serie A outfit are back in the final of a European competition for the first time since their glorious treble of 2009-10 under Jose Mourinho and Friday’s showpiece against Sevilla will be their 10th European final in their history.

The Nerazzurri booked their place in the final after an emphatic 5-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk in the semi-final on Monday night. Lautaro Martinez and Romelu Lukaku both scored braces, while Danilo D’Ambrosio also got on the scoresheet.

Martinez and Lukaku became the first duo to score 20+ goals each in a single season for the Serie A giants since Adriano and Obafemi Martins in the 2004-05 campaign, while D’Ambrosio now has three goals in his last five games in all competitions.

Lukaku has been unplayable of late and has been hugely impressive since moving to the Serie A – proving his doubters wrong by scoring 33 goals this season and taking a real fancy to the Europa League. The Belgian has been directly involved in 18 goals in his last 10 appearances in Europe’s second-level cup competition (14 goals, 4 assists).

Conte is expected to set up with his favourite 3-5-2 formation with Samir Handanovic in goal; Diego Godin, Stefan de Vrij and Alessandro Bastoni in a three-man defence, a five-man midfield of D’Ambrosio, Barella, Marcelo Brozovic, Roberto Gagliardini and Ashley Young, with D’Ambrosio and Young as the two wing-backs; with the deadly strike force of Martinez and Lukaku.

Verdict: Inter Milan (12/10)
It comes as no surprise that Inter Milan are made favourites to win this match. The Nerazzurri look unstoppable right now with the dynamic duo of Martinez and Lukaku, while they have a rock-solid defence which has kept five clean sheets in their last six matches. Sevilla will attempt to make life uncomfortable for Inter, but I’m quite confident the Italians will come out on top.