The final of the final tournament of the Europa League in North Rhine-Westphalia will take place without German clubs, players or coaches. Even neutral viewers can expect a lot from the final between Inter Milan and Sevilla FC.
Cologne (dpa) - Some are record winners with a terrific record in the last 15 years, others want to remember past glorious times: Today's Europa League final between FC Sevilla and Inter Milan in Cologne (9 p.m. / RTL and DAZN ) promises high-class football.
THE STARTING POINT: Inter are slightly favored - because the Italians finished second in Serie A, just one point behind series champions Juventus Turin. And because they celebrated the highest semi-final victory in the history of the competition in a 5-0 win against Shakhtar Donetsk. But with five wins in five finals since 2006, Seville has a brilliant record as a record winner in the small European Cup. And the club is currently unbeaten for 20 competitive games.
GERMAN COMPONENT: Even if there has not been a Bundesliga team in the final since the Europa League was launched in 2009, only three of the finals were completely without a German component. Either at least one German player was in the line-up of the finalists, a German referee whistled, a German coach stood on the sidelines, or the game took place in Germany. As in the first edition in 2010, the venue is the only German reference this time. Ten years ago Atlético Madrid won 2-1 in Hamburg after extra time against FC Fulham.
MYSTERIOUS CONTE: Antonio Conte has only been with Inter Milan for a year. And actually he should be completely satisfied: Inter is back in a final for the first time since winning the Cup in 2011, and the Nerazzurri (black and blue) seem to be a real rival for the series champion Juventus Turin, who recently triumphed nine times. But when asked if he had thought that the game on Friday could be his last as an Inter coach, Conte replied surprisingly evasive. "In my career I have learned to only live in the here and now," said the 51-year-old, who recently complained publicly about the lack of support from the club's management.
RECORD HUNTER: Inter striker Romelu Lukaku is in top form. He was the first player to score in ten Europa League games in a row. In addition, with 19 goals in the UEFA Cup or the Europa League, he is the top Belgian goalscorer since his brace against Donetsk. If he had scored on Friday, he would have scored 34 competitive goals in his first season in Milan - like Brazil's superstar Ronaldo once did in his first Inter year in 1998. In the end, Inter's last victory in the small European Cup was up to now.
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Preview on uefa.com
Press kit for the game (in English)
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