Sevilla, king of the UEFA Cup/Europa Leaguewill be treated this Wednesday at Budapest to add his seventh crown in the competition, while his rival, the Rome, struggling to debut on the winners list. This is the most outstanding data from the grand final preview, according to Opta:
1. Sevilla reached the UEFA Cup/Europa League final for the seventh time, two more than any other club. They won every time they reached it: 2006, 2007, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2020
2. Roma will play in the UEFA Cup/Europa League final for the second time, losing the first in 1991 against Inter. This is their fifth major European final after 1961 (Inter-Cities Fairs Cup), 1984 (European Cup), 1991 (UEFA Cup) and 2022 (Conference League).
3. The only previous confrontation between Seville and Rome in Europe saw Espanyol win 2-0 in the round of 16 of this competition in 2019/20, the latter of which Sevilla were champions.
4. Sevilla have won six major European titles so far, all from the UEFA Cup/Europa League. If they win the seventh, only five teams will win more European trophies: Real Madrid (16), Barcelona (12), Milan (9), Liverpool (9) and Bayern Munich (8).
5. This will be the 14th meeting of a Spanish team against an Italian one in a major European final, where the Spaniard has won nine of the previous 13, including the last three.
6. The final of a major European competition is held in Hungary for the fourth time: Leeds United vs Ferencvárosi TC in the 1968 Fairs Cup (second leg), Newcastle United vs Újpest in the 1969 Fairs Cup (second leg) and Real Madrid vs Fehérvár in the 1985 UEFA Cup .
7. After winning the Conference League last season, Roma could win two major European titles in two consecutive seasons, something an Italian team has achieved four times: Inter in 1964 and 1965, Milan in 1968 and 1969, Juventus in 1984 and 1985 and again the team of ‘rossonero’ in 1989 and 1990.
8. The UEFA Cup/Europa League has been won by a Spanish coach 12 times, more than coaches from other countries, with six of the last 10 finals for coaches from the Iberian country. This is the first major European final for José Luis Mendilibar, from Sevilla.
9. Roma coach José Mourinho has won five major European titles to date: UEFA Cup 2003, Champions League in 2004 and 2010, Europa League in 2017 and Conference League in 2022. If he lifts the title in this match, Mourinho will become the coach who has won the most titles in European competition, surpassing Giovanni Trapattoni (5).
10. Jesús Navas, from Sevilla, will be 37 years and 191 days old on the day of this final, and may be the oldest outfield player to start in a UEFA Cup/Europa League final since David Weir for Rangers against Zenit in 2008 (38 years and 4 days). The full-back won the title in 2006 with Sevilla against Middlesbrough when he was 20 years and 170 days old.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
