Dnipro v Sevilla
Wednesday 27th May – Kickoff: 1945hrs
Football – European – Europa League Betting Tips
Wednesday see’s the 44th final of European football’s secondary club competition – now know as the Europa League. Last year’s winners Sevilla are looking to retain the trophy for the second time in their history having achieved that feat in 2005 and 2006. They face a team contesting their first ever European final in the shape of Dnipro, who have surprised many with their progress to this stage. The added incentive for both clubs is that whoever comes out victorious will not only have the trophy presentation to look forward to, they will also be competing in next season’s Champions League. As Barcelona and Juventus (who will contest this season’s final) have already qualified for next season’s group stage by virtue of their domestic performance, Sevilla or Dnipro know that if they win then they will be guaranteed to join the top clubs in the group stage as opposed to having to qualify via the play-offs.
It has been a remarkable season for Dnipro and could yet culminate in their first piece of European silverware. With one game left in the Ukrainian Premier League, Dnipro are two points behind second-placed Shakthar Donetsk so can still qualify for next season’s Champions League through that route, but that will not be their aim ahead of Wednesday’s match in Warsaw. For a club who’s biggest success in modern history was finishing runners-up to Shakthar in 2014, it is something of a fairytale and one they hope will have the perfect ending by upsetting the odds and taking the Europa League trophy home to Ukraine for only the second time in the history of the competition following Donetsk’s triumph in 2009.
Despite missing out on a top four finish in the Primera Division, Sevilla picked up 13 more points compared to last season, proving that teams can compete domestically and be successful in this competition. Unai Emery has done a fantastic job at the club he joined as manager in 2013, but the one achievement that has yet alluded him is participating in the premier European club competition. If he can repeat what Juande Ramos (who incidentally also managed Dnipro) accomplished a decade ago and lead Sevilla consecutive successes in this tournament then he would not only lead his players to the Champions League, but make history by becoming the first club to win this trophy on four occasions.
This final see’s a clash of two completely different styles. Dnipro have reached this stage through their organisation, discipline and determination never to admit defeat. The Ukrainians won just two of their six games in the group stage but they have grown into the tournament and seen off Olympiakos, Ajax, Club Brugge and Napoli in very tight, evenly-contest matches. It’s there where their greatest strength lies, however – that ability to come out on top when games are in the balance.
Sevilla, on the other hand, have been the entertainers in this season’s Europa League. They come into this game have scored a competition-high of 26 goals, 18 of which have come in the knockout stage. Their only defeat came away to Feyenoord during that group phase but have not looked back since, winning eight and drawing one. The defending Champions have arguably had a tougher route to the final having already faced a team from the Bundesliga, Serie A and a fellow La Liga outfit.
Dnipro v Sevilla Betting Tips<h2
The Europa League often gets criticised, but whilst it does have faults, there is no getting away from how competitive it is when it gets to the closing stages. In addition to Sevilla, recent winners include Chelsea, Atletico Madrid (twice) and Porto, all of whom are established Champions League clubs. Dnipro certainly are not that and actually only found themselves in the Europa League due to their failure in qualifying for the more illustrious tournament in August last year. Sevilla are a Champions League club in all but name and look to have that extra bit of quality that their opponents lack. I think that will be the difference on Wednesday and ultimately bring to an end what has been a true underdog story for the Ukrainians. I can see Sevilla retaining their title in a dominant fashion and think them to win on the Asian Handicap is the way to go.
Sevilla -1 (AH) 11/10 @ Bet365
