Six times winner of the Europa League since 2006, Sevilla FC, a great specialist in the competition, tries the pass of seven on Wednesday (8 p.m.) in Budapest against AS Roma by José Mourinho, again on the front of the stage during of a European Cup final.
One season in one game. The two teams, not qualified for the Champions League in their respective championships, have the opportunity to save honor at the Puskás Arena and obtain, in the event of victory, the dream sesame for the prestigious C1.
“Mou only has Sevilla left”, headlined the Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport as the legendary Portuguese coach will try to offer Roma their second continental cup in two years, after the one won last year. in the Europa League Conference against Feyenoord Rotterdam.
José Mourinho could thus collect his sixth European title after his two Champions Leagues (2004 with FC Porto, 2010 with Inter Milan), his two Europa Leagues (2003 with FC Porto, 2017 with Manchester United) and the Europa League Conference gleaned in 2022.
Will the science of the Lusitanian technician make the difference again? The Portuguese is formidable in these meetings-cleaver since he has never lost during a European final, apart from three failures in the Supercup.
If he managed to win, he would join Alex Ferguson and Giovanni Trapattoni, also crowned six times in European Cups, just behind Carlo Ancelotti and his nine titles, offering a second trophy to Roma after the two lost finals, in 1984 in C1 and in 1991 in C3.
Seven out of seven for Sevilla?
This new cup would above all allow the Wolf to be able to make a comeback in the Champions League. Because the C1, objective announced by its leaders, is no longer possible via the championship after an upside down end to the season: AS Roma remains on a series of seven games without a win (four draws, three losses) and one 6th place in Serie A, one day before the end of the season.
The Italian club’s victory in the European Cup could be the prelude to a fabulous transalpine hat-trick, before the Europa League Conference final between Fiorentina and West Ham on June 7, and that of the Champions League between Inter Milan and Manchester City, June 10.
The Romans, carried by ten thousand supporters in Budapest and the 50,000 expected at the Stadio olimpico in Rome, can count on the return of the Italian Leonardo Spinazzola, injured in the semi-final against Bayer Leverkusen. Just like the presence of Stephan El Shaarawy, who had felt muscle fatigue this weekend. Hit in the ankle, the Argentinian Paulo Dybala could also be aligned.
For its part, Sevilla FC also relies on impressive statistics: the red and white club, very close to relegation to La Liga just two months ago, is undefeated in the Europa League final with six coronations, a record.
In the semi-finals, the men of José Luis Mendilibar, who arrived a few weeks ago after the departure of Jorge Sampaoli, have already beaten an Italian club, overcoming Juventus d’Allegri after extra time (2-1) after a draw brought back from Turin in the first leg (1-1).
Currently eleventh in La Liga and resuscitated in a few weeks by the Spanish coach, the Sevillians were able to rely on the return match on the support of 42,000 fans in a trance. On Wednesday, around 10,000 will sing at the Puskás Arena to dream of a seventh coronation.