Benfica v Sevilla - Europa League Final Preview

While the most attention in terms of European football will fall on the Champions League final next week between the two Madrid rivals, the Europa League final this season also presents an attractive looking fixture between two quality European outfits. And there is the extra spice involved that Spanish and Portugese teams have typically been rivals. Unquestionably, Juventus will be extremely disappointed that they were eliminated in the semi-finals meaning that they miss out on the chance to play a final on their home turf. But this should still be an intriguing match-up.

The Stadio delle Alpi is one of Europe’s classic stadiums, so one hopes that Benfica and Sevilla will produce a final worthy of the setting. The Portugese side are looking to improve on last year’s defeat in the final, while Sevilla are hoping to pick up a rare trophy, with the El Clasico rivals generally dominant in Spain, and this season joined at the top of the tree by an outstanding Atletico Madrid team.

Unfortunately for Sevilla, UEFA has earmarked a Champions League spot for next season’s Europa League winners, so the Spanish side will miss out on a place at Europe’s top table should they win this match against a formidable Benfica team. The Portugese side has dominated their domestic division in recent seasons, so they are already assured of a place at Europe’s top table for next season, meaning that they can concentrate purely on attempting to pick up a European trophy.

One of the fascinating aspects of Benfica’s history is that the club is associated with the supreme European achievements of its legendary coach, Béla Guttmann, who won back-to-back European cups for the Portugese side in the early 1960s, with the ‘Black Pearl’ Eusebio at the heart of his teams.

Yet when the club decided that they didn’t wish to retain Guttman’s services, he allegedly cursed the club, declaring “Not in a hundred years from now will Benfica ever be European champion”. Despite being finalists on five occasions – 1963, 1965, 1968, 1988, and 1990 (and in 1983, 2013 and 2014 for other European cups) – Benfica have never since won any European Championship.

Thus, the Portugese club are looking to snap that rather unfortunate aspect of their history, which has seen them barren in European competition for over half a century. Can they end this hoodoo against Sevilla? Well, this could be the last opportunity for an extremely talented crop of Benfica players to win a major European trophy before this side is broken up, with some top European clubs targeting several of their players. So the incentive is going to be there, and there has been a real togetherness in some of their displays this season.

Thus, I’m backing the Portugese side to win the Europa League this season. They’ve shown in their performances in making two consecutive finals that they’re a quality European side, and even though Sevilla have performed superbly in the Europa League at times, coming memorably from behind to defeat Basel, I think Benfica will win this one.

Selections: Safe Bet – Benfica to win (13/10 with SkyBet), Value Bet – Benfica to win by 1 goal (3/1 with BetVictor)

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13/05/2014     © Frixo 2026