Europa League Final Tips: Who Will Win Between Sevilla And Roma?

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Europa League Final Tips: Who Will Win Between Sevilla And Roma?
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Sevilla vs Roma Predictions: 


Europa League specialists Sevilla will bid to lift the trophy for the seventh time when they take on Roma at Puskás Aréna in Budapest tonight.

UK betting sites make them the slight underdogs, despite boasting an impeccable record in this competition over the years.

Los Rojiblancos won it in 2006, 2007, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2020, and they boast a perfect 6-0 record in Europa League finals.

They are also in fine form under Jose Luis Mendilibar, who has transformed the team’s fortunes since replacing Jorge Sampaoli in March.

Sevilla will be full of confidence, but they will come up against a man who knows precisely how to get the job done in European finals.

Roma boss Jose Mourinho won this competition with both Man Utd and Porto, and he has also led Porto and Inter Milan to Champions League glory.

Last year, he inspired Roma to victory in the Europa Conference League, so his record in European finals is 5-0.

As such, it promises to be a tight, tense clash between two evenly matched teams, and we have broken down our top tips below.

Mourinho May Decide To Park The Proverbial Bus Again

Mourinho is a pragmatic coach with a tendency to “park the bus” when his teams reach big European finals.

That approach paid dividends when his Inter side beat the mighty Bayern Munich 2-0 in the 2010 Champions League final.

The Nerazzurri had just 33% of the possession and only seven shots on goal, but they managed to stifle their Bavarian rivals throughout the match.

It worked again when Mourinho’s Man Utd side ground out a 2-0 victory over Ajax in the 2017 Europa League final.

Mourinho was up to his old tricks yet again in last year’s Europa Conference League final, when Roma had 41% of the possession and only two shots on goal en route to beating Feyenoord 1-0.

Parking the bus also served Mourinho well in this season’s Europa League semi-finals, which saw the Giallorossi eke out a 1-0 aggregate victory over Bayer Leverkusen.

In the second leg, Roma had only 28% of the possession and one shot on goal - which was off target - but they defended doggedly to clinch a narrow victory.

He has a wealth of attacking talent at his disposal - including Paulo Dybala, Tammy Abraham, Andrea Belotti and Lorenzo Pellegrini - but it is easy to imagine Mourinho taking a cautious approach, so under 2.5 goals looks appealing.

There were seven bookings in the first leg of Roma’s semi-final showdown with Bayer Leverkusen and nine in the second leg.

Sevilla have also picked up plenty of bookings on their journey to the Europa League final, including five at Old Trafford, so combining over 4.5 cards with under 2.5 goals on football betting sites is an attractive prospect if you anticipate a tense, scrappy game. 

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Sevilla Should Dominate Possession In The Europa League Final

Sevilla are a technically astute side, featuring the likes of Ivan Rakitic, Lucas Ocampos, Bryan Gil and Papu Gomez.

They should enjoy a great deal of the ball during the final, as Mourinho’s men sit back, soak up pressure and seek to spring counterattacks led by Abraham.

Roma have won 22 corners and conceded 32 corners during their six knockout stage games thus far. By contrast, Sevilla have won 45 corners and given away 30. 

In the second leg of their semi-final against Juventus, they were awarded 18 corners, which highlights their propensity to stretch the game and pepper the opposition penalty box with crosses aimed at Youssef En-Nesyri.

As such, backing Sevilla to win the most corners in this game looks like a tempting option at 3/4 with William Hill.

Mourinho’s Tactical Nous Could Make The Difference

Ladbrokes are offering odds of 10/11 on either team lifting the trophy tonight, which highlights just how evenly matched they are.

Sevilla were relegation candidates when Mendilibar took the reins in March, but he has steered them into the top half of the Primera Liga table.

Yet they still look weak at the back after selling Jules Kounde to Barcelona and Diego Carlos to Aston Villa last summer.

Mourinho will bid to exploit that weakness on the counterattack, harnessing Abraham’s blistering pace and the ingenuity of players like Dybala.

Roma’s league form has tailed off in recent weeks, but that is because Mourinho has been keeping his players fresh for this game.

Sevilla may boast an excellent record in this competition, but it is unwise to bet against Mourinho in big games, and he could ultimately win the tactical battle with Mendilibar on Thursday night.