For both Liverpool and Sevilla, the Europa League is not just an opportunity to win silverware this season, but also a chance to qualify for the Champions League as well.
Sevilla and Liverpool have finished seventh and eighth in their respective leagues, and are nowhere near to qualifying for the Champions League via domestic league positions. However, victory in the Europa League final at the St Jakob-Park in Basel will guarantee Champions League football next season.
Champions League action will be crucial to Liverpool’s bid to attract top players and help manager Jurgen Klopp build a championship winning team.
Team News and Tactical Brief
Liverpool FC
Klopp is expected to go with the same side that beat Villarreal two weeks back in the Europa League semi final. The German fielded a second string side over the weekend, but will bring his best players back into the starting XI for this match.
Centre-back Mamadou Sakho’s absence could hit Liverpool hard, as the Frenchman in suspended after testing positive for a banned substance. Kolo Toure is set to take his place in the heart of the defence, alongside Dejan Lovren. Defender Jon Flanagan and striker Danny Ings also cannot take part in the match as they are not registered for the Europa League.
However, captain Jordan Henderson has recovered from his injury, and has played the last 27 minutes of Liverpool’s weekend tie against West Bromwich Albion. Match fitness is believed to be the main issue with him, but the Reds captain is expected to take some part in the game. Belgian striker Divock Origi could also come off the bench against Sevilla on Wednesday; recent reports have suggested that he will not require surgery on the damaged ligaments in his ankle.
Other than these few players, Klopp is set to name a full strength starting XI, with Daniel Sturridge leading the line in the Europa League final on Wednesday. Philippe Coutinho, Roberto Frimino and Adam Lallana will be the main creative forces in the team, while Daniel Sturridge will look to make his diagonal runs to catch the Sevilla defence off-guard.
James Milner and Emre Can could be in for a tiresome night as they will have to do a lot of box to box running during the match. This makes the presence of Henderson on the bench crucial — especially if the game goes into extra time.
Possible Starting XI (4-2-3-1): Mignolet; Moreno, Toure, Lovren, Clyne; Milner, Can; Coutinho, Firmino, Lallana; Sturridge.
Sevilla FC
The two big absentees for Sevilla in this match are Danish midfielder Michael Krohn-Dehli, who has been ruled out due to a knee injury, and former Arsenal man Jose Antonio Reyes, who will miss the match after undergoing an appendix surgery last month.
However, these absentees are unlikely to worry Sevilla’s talismanic manager Unai Emery, who is trying to win a third successive Europa League title with the Andalusian club. While the Europa League is considered to be of a lower tier than the Champions League, nobody has won the competition three times in a row. This will only help to motivate Emery and his men even more in this game.
Although he is missing two midfield stalwarts, Emery has ample backup in the area, with Steven N’Zonzi and Grzegorz Krychowiak set to man the two pivoting roles in the middle of the park. Argentine playmaker Ever Banega is set to take his place as the central attacking midfielder, being the main creative force in the starting XI.
Banega will look to find the darting runs of Vitolo, Coke, and Kevin Gameiro, in order to prise open the Liverpool defence. Gameiro’s role is crucial to Sevilla’s play, as the French striker has scored seven out of the side’s 14 goals this season.
What makes Sevilla such a dangerous side is that they always have options off the bench. One of their best options from the bench is Ukranian winger Yevhen Olehovych Konoplyanka. Being one of the most skilful players in the Sevilla side, Konoplyanka can wreck havoc from the bench from the left flank. Konoplyanka has the ability to both deliver delicious crosses and cut in and shoot from long range.
Possible Starting XI (4-2-3-1): Soria; Escudero, Carrico, Rami, Mariano; Krychowiak, N’Zonzi; Vitolo, Banega, Coke; Gameiro.
Key Stats
- Liverpool have lost only one of their last 14 Europa League matches.
- Sevilla will become the first club since Bayern Munich (1973-1976) to win a European trophy three seasons in a row if they defeat Liverpool on Wednesday night.
- 13 of Sevilla’s last 16 Europa League matches have seen more than 2.5 goals on average.
- Sevilla are the only La Liga team not to have won a single match away from home.
Players to look out for
Adam Lallana (Liverpool FC)
The England international has been in tremendous form in recent weeks, and will be pivotal to Liverpool’s chances in the Europa League final. The playmaker has scored three goals and also produced one assist in the Europa League so far for Liverpool. One of these three goals was a crucial strike that helped Liverpool overcome Villarreal 3-0 in the second leg of the semi final. Lallana will constantly be looking to switch places with Firmino in order to confuse the Sevilla defenders.
Kevin Gameiro (Sevilla FC)
Gameiro is the latest in a long line of talented strikers that Sevilla have been employing over the past decade. The Frenchman has scored exactly half of Sevilla’s goals in the Europa League this season, making him a great threat to the Liverpool goal. However, it is not just his goal-scoring capability that makes Gameiro Seivlla’s most important player. The 29 year old also works hard to close the defenders down, and could help to ruffle-up a few feathers in the Liverpool defence.
Prediction
Liverpool FC 2-3 Sevilla FC
Although Liverpool have been in great form of late under Jurgen Klopp, Sevilla look like they will win a third successive Europa League title in a row. The Andalusians are primarily a cup side, and raise their game manifold in the big matches. They have proven this by defeating Real Madrid and Barcelona in the La Liga, and also making it to the final of the Copa Del Rey. Manager Emery is himself a video analyst, and would have analysed Klopp’s tactics thoroughly before the game. While it could be an intense tactical battle, we expect the Europa League final to be a high scoring one, with the Spaniards shading it in the end.
