Sevilla v Roma preview: Jose Mourinho's magic could make the difference
Los Rojiblancos have been to the Puskas Arena before, losing 2-1 to Bayern Munich in the 2020 Super Cup. That game went to extra time and there is a possibility of that being repeated against the Giallorossi.
Jose Mourinho is the master of these situations, previously guiding Porto (2003) and Manchester United (2017) to glory in this competition and showed he still knows how to set his teams up for the big games by engineering a 1-0 win over Feyenoord in last season's European Conference League final.
The 'Special One' undoubtedly feels he belongs in the Champions League and with this his team's last chance to book their spot in next season's competition, his know-how could prove the difference.
What: Sevilla v Roma, Europa League final
Where: Puskas Arena, Budapest
When: 20:00, Wednesday 31st May
How to watch: BT Sport 1
Odds: Sevilla , Draw , Roma
Roma's resilience surely a factor
This is likely to be a clash of styles. Mourinho has allowed Roma to play with more panache than his previous clubs but is expected to look to strangle the game in the Hungarian capital.
In contrast, are sure to demonstrate more swagger, with Jose Luis Mendilibar's arrival after a chaotic campaign that has seen both Julen Lopetegui and Jorge Sampaoli depart, rescuing them from potential relegation.
Despite failing to win their last three since overhauling Juventus in the semi-finals, Los Rojiblancos could still finish in La Liga's European places and are To Lift the Trophy on Wednesday.
A win in 90 minutes for the Andalusians is , with the draw and Roma , with the Italians also struggling for a bit of form, perhaps having had half an eye on this competition.
lost 2-1 at Fiorentina on Saturday and have not won since beating Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 in the first leg of their semi-final tie.
The second leg saw them grind out a 0-0 in Germany and more of the same is expected, with Roma To Lift the Trophy, perhaps via a win to nil at .
Game unlikely to live up to its venue’s name
Alternatively, the last two Europa League finals have finished 1-1, available at as a Correct Score, and gone to penalties, with available for a 'Yes' in Game Decided After Penalties.
Both teams are to win by that method and Roma's Paulo Dybala could be involved if spot-kicks are required, having recovered from an ankle injury.
The Argentine has netted four times in this season's Europa League and is in the Anytime market, while Sevilla's Youssef En-Nesyri, who also has four, most recently in the semi-finals against Juventus, is in the same market.
Rugged Roma stars could be ones to watch
The overriding feeling is that Roma could look to close the game down and Mourinho's men have recovered more balls than any other team in the competition, while their tally of 146 tackles is second only to Manchester United.
Bryan Cristante has led the way with 23 tackles but the player to watch could be Roger Ibanez, who averages 1.75 tackles per game and is to make over 1.5 in the Player Tackles odds.
It might also be worth looking at his teammate Lorenzo Pellegrini. With 36, the 26-year-old has had more attempts than any other player in this season's Europa League and is to have over 1.5 shots.
Pellegrini is another Roma player who has scored four goals in this season's Europa League, albeit two have been penalties, and is anytime.
*Odds are correct at time of writing
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