Europa League: Sevilla FC – AS Roma, the final of the undefeated

“Nadie la quiere mas que nosotros” (no one wants her more than us). Here is the slogan of Sevilla FC for a few weeks and the elimination of Manchester United in the quarter-finals of the competition. A sentence that makes sense and that we can take at face value as the Andalusians seem transcended by the C3.

Accustomed to these European games and especially this one, it will be the 7th time in its history that we will see Sevilla in the Europa League final, this time with the objective of lifting a 7th title. In other words, the Blanquirrojos have never lost a C3 final in six appearances, a series they intend to continue this May 31 in the Hungarian capital. And even when the season seems nightmarish on the surface, the Sevillian club finds the resources to perform and scare in "its" competition.

Generally fourth in La Liga, as in the last three seasons, the team has had terrible adventures this year. Still 19th in the Spanish championship after seventeen days, the men of Mendilibar were able to climb the slope to point today to eleventh place in the standings, just a small point from seventh place, qualifying for the Europa League Conference.

Let's talk about José Luis Mendilibar. The third coach who has known the bench of Sanchez Pizjuan this season, after the departures of Julen Lopetegui then Jorge Sampaoli. Since his arrival the Basque technician, on whom no one was betting, has transformed this group which has lost only two games in all competitions in fifteen games, since April 1. Eliminating in particular two favorites of the Europa League, Manchester United (in the quarter-finals) then recently Juventus Turin (in the semi-finals), before the last summit of the mountain, another Italian team, AS Rome.

"It will be difficult for both of us to win the cup," Mendilibar said at a press conference. Try to make as few mistakes as possible because in these finals mistakes are paid (...). I am grateful for what Mourinho says about me, my team and my club, but if he says history does not win, neither do the compliments (...). I don't think I'm a favourite, I don't care. In bets, there will surely be a certain advantage for a team but with that you will not win”.

If Sevilla never gives up (as the motto of the Andalusian club says “Nunca se rinde”), José Mourinho absolutely did not plan or consider surrendering. The Portuguese coach is certainly not scared off by Sevilla's insane unbeaten streak as he himself hasn't tasted defeat in a European Cup final.

The "Special One" did not tremble in the Champions League in 2004 with Porto then in 2010 with Inter, but also in the Europa League which he won twice in 2003 and 2017 at the head of Porto and Manchester United . Last year he also reigned in the Europa League Conference with the same Roma who became the first team in history to lift this trophy and Mourinho him, the first and only still to this day, winner of the three competitions as a 'coach.

“I always look ahead, assured the Roman coach. I've been in football for many years, maybe that's my secret and my philosophy, that's why this final is a new final for me. I don't think of Porto in 2003, I don't think of Roma last season. I only think of this final. We are two great teams, with top level players. [...] They are a little more experienced in the final, but my team comes here ready, we have played a lot of European games in the last two seasons.

In any case, the last time these two teams faced each other in this competition, it was Sevilla who emerged victorious in 2020 in Cologne at the same time as the “final 8” of the Champions League in Lisbon after the Covid. The Andalusians won 2-0 in the round of 16 before winning their sixth and final title against another Italian team in the final, Inter Milan (3-2).