Previews
MIÉ 04.05.2016
"We are raring to do something historic." These were the words of Sevilla FC boss Unai Emery ahead of a game in which his side will be bidding to progress to their third consecutive Europa League final.
The Andalusian outfit won the trophy two years ago in Turin with victory over Benfica, and last term they retained their crown in Warsaw by getting the better of Ukrainian side Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk. Now they are gunning to make history by sealing a three-peat at St. Jakob-Park in Basel. Their dream of reaching a third final on the bounce is very much alive after a 2-2 draw with Shakhtar Donetsk in Ukraine. With these two away goals from the semi-final first leg, courtesy of Vitolo and Kevin Gameiro, Sevilla have a slight advantage going into the return match, but Emery is not taking anything whatsoever for granted:
"I don't believe in football without suffering. No one achieves anything without suffering first; you grow through suffering, through adversity, through unity between the players and fans. If we're to win tomorrow we'll have to suffer; we have to be ready to suffer," the Spanish coach said at his pre-match press conference.
Emery will have to make do without the services of Danish midfielder Michael Krohn-Dehli, who sustained a serious injury during the first leg, and home-grown veteran Jose Antonio Reyes. Shakhtar manager Mircea Lucescu, meanwhile, headed to Seville without the injured Marcio Azevedo and the suspended Fred.
Sevilla, who are looking for a record-breaking fifth title in the competition, are unbeaten in their six meetings with Ukrainian opposition. Shakhtar, on the other hand, have faced LaLiga teams 22 times, amassing four wins, six draws and 12 defeats. One of those losses came against Sevilla in the 2006/07 UEFA Cup round of 16 when, following none other than a 2-2 stalemate at the Sanchez-Pizjuan, the Spanish side's goalkeeper Andres Palop scored a dramatic last-gasp header in Ukraine to take the tie to extra time. Ernesto Chevanton subsequently notched a winner to ensure the Andalusians, the eventual champions, went through to the next round.
© LALIGA - 2016