Sevilla and Juventus are poised for an enthralling showdown on Thursday as they battle for a coveted spot within the Europa League ultimate, with the semifinal tie delicately balancing within the air.
Following a 1-1 attract Turin final week, each groups head to Estadio Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan with a perception of their skill to emerge victorious.
The house facet maintain a powerful file on this competitors, by no means having misplaced a tie when enjoying the second leg on their very own turf.
Notably, Sevilla have triumphed in all 9 of their knockout contests when enjoying at house within the second leg, showcasing their unparalleled dominance in Europe’s second-tier match.
With a powerful observe file, the six-time Europa League winners have emerged victorious in 24 of their final 27 matches on the Sanchez-Pizjuan, making them a formidable drive to reckon with.
However, they might want to replicate this success as soon as once more on account of a late setback within the first leg of the semifinal.
Despite main by way of Youssef En-Nesyri’s first-half strike on the Allianz Stadium, Sevilla noticed their benefit slip away within the dying moments when Federico Gatti grew to become an unlikely hero for Juventus, heading in a close-range equalizer deep into stoppage time.
As a outcome, the Spanish facet have solely managed one victory of their 5 encounters with the Italian giants in continental competitions.
The incontrovertible fact that Los Rojiblancos are even vying for a spot within the ultimate is a exceptional feat, contemplating the challenges they’ve confronted in the course of the 2022-23 marketing campaign.
Having gone by way of three totally different head coaches this season, they appear to have hit their stride at simply the precise second.
Although a current house defeat to Girona interrupted their seven-match unbeaten streak, back-to-back wins in La Liga towards Espanyol and Real Valladolid have propelled them to tenth place within the desk.
Instead of relegation issues, Sevilla now set their sights on securing a top-half end below Jose Luis Mendilibar, who masterminded their spectacular quarterfinal victory over Manchester United to safe a spot within the Europa League’s final 4.
A triumph of their upcoming match would ship Sevilla to Budapest for the ultimate showdown on the finish of May, the place they may doubtlessly face both Jose Mourinho’s Roma or Bundesliga outfit Bayer Leverkusen.
However, standing resolutely of their path is Juventus, a workforce tormented by controversies and underperformance all through the season.
Eager to succeed in their first European ultimate since 2017 after they had been defeated within the Champions League’s grand finale by Real Madrid, the Italian giants have an arduous job forward.
Despite salvaging a draw within the first leg, they face historic precedents working towards them, as they’ve solely managed to win two of their final 17 away video games towards Spanish sides in knockout competitions.
Their file consists of 12 losses and a sole clear sheet.
Nevertheless, Juventus have proven resilience on this yr’s Europa League marketing campaign, overcoming Nantes, Freiburg and Sporting CP.
With disappointments within the Coppa Italia semifinals and their Serie A standing unsure, success in Europe represents their finest likelihood to salvage their season.
While the workforce has had their 15-point penalty overturned, they nonetheless face potential penalties that might deny them a top-four home end.
On the pitch, Juventus at the moment sit in second place in Serie A, with three consecutive victories over Lecce, Atalanta and Cremonese.
However, nothing is assured, and they are going to be doubly motivated to defeat Sevilla on Thursday, maintaining their hopes alive for silverware and a coveted return to the Champions League.
Source: www.dailysabah.com
