Roma and Sevilla meet in Budapest tonight having both faltered in domestic competitions but excelled in Europe's second-tier competition. Sevilla have now reached the Europa League final for a seventh time which is two more than any other club. They have won the competition on each previous occasion that they have reached this stage with the first success coming back in 2006. The current team captain Jesus Navas was only 20 years old then when his team was victorious against English side Middlesbrough. Their most recent win came three years ago making them the most successful side in this competition. They now conclude their troubled 2022-2023 campaign by traveling to Hungary, a country that is hosting its first European final since 1985. 

Sevilla have eliminated some of Europe's ‘big boys’ along the way this season knocking out English giants Manchester United and Italian powerhouse Juventus before reaching the final. Their most recent semi-final victory was their 25th win from their last 28 Europa League matches at Estadio Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan but the Spanish club must now prove their mettle on neutral soil against particularly stubborn opponents. Sevilla have endured a difficult domestic season and they head to the final under their third coach of the campaign  Jose Luis Mendilibar who has guided them in avoiding relegation from the Spanish La Liga. Sevilla have only lost twice during Mendilibar's spell in charge most recently in the hands of Real Madrid during La Liga's penultimate matchday. 

Should Roma succeed tonight, Jose Mourinho will become the most decorated manager in the long history of European competition. The Portuguese tactician has already banked five major UEFA trophies to date and is aiming to add a sixth to his name. Roma lifted the inaugural Europa Conference League trophy last year and tonight's match will be their second successive European final. Mourinho has previously won the Europa League with Porto in 2007 and Manchester United in 2017 and if he becomes successful tonight he will go down in history as the first coach to win the cup with three different clubs. Roma will be appearing in their fifth European final overall with the most recent seeing the Italian side beat Feyenoord last year at a time like this.

AS Roma are currently sitting sixth in Serie A with one game to go before the end of the season and can finish fifth at best following a 2-1 defeat to fellow European finalists Fiorentina last weekend. They have been accused of underperforming in the domestic league this term and so the stakes are incredibly high. going into tonight's final. The winners of the Europa League gain direct entry into the next season's UEFA Champions League and both teams appear to have put their bet on this making tonight's match a very high stake competition. Will it be a seventh win for Sevilla or will it be a sixth title for Mourinho? The answer will lie at the blow of the final whistle at the Puskas Arena tonight. 

(Image: Sports Tiger)