Europa League kings Sevilla face Jose Mourinho's Roma in the first final of UEFA's 2022/23 club competitions. Liam Kelly has two strong fancies.
Football betting tips: Europa League final
3pts Over 11.5 Sevilla shots in regular time at 5/6 (bet365, BoyleSports)
2.5pts Sevilla to lift the Europa League trophy at evens (BetVictor)
Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook
Thursday nights are no longer Europa nights as we reach a Wednesday climax of the UEL.
Budapest and the Puskás Aréna host Sevilla and Roma for the final of the Europa League, a match-up that should be fairly easy to read from a tactical perspective.
If you've managed to catch Jose Mourinho's side play near the end of this gruelling 2022/23 campaign, I console you and offer comfort in the fact that there are many of us who have witnessed the same horrors.
Indeed, I can only assume the Trevi Fountain water was turned black recently not only to highlight climate change, but to mark the death of football at Roma.
Mourinho is back in big games, and it is as painful as ever.
Kick-off time: 20:00 BST, Wednesday
TV channel: BT Sport 1
Putting a dreadful performance in a 2-2 draw with Salernitana and a late collapse to lose 2-1 to Fiorentina last time out to one side for a moment, Roma's semi-final second leg 0-0 in Leverkusen is a good indicator as to how this might go.
Although a 0-0 draw was good enough to reach the final, Mourinho's team showed no ambition whatsoever, attempting just one shot in the match and adopting tactics that were simply unwatchable at times.
With that in mind, and the history of Mourinho's tactics in these match-ups, it's easy to envisage a vastly improved Sevilla dominating proceedings.
OVER 11.5 SEVILLA SHOTS in regular time makes appeal at 5/6 as a result.
José Luis Mendilibar has done an outstanding job with the Spanish side that was in a real relegation fight not long ago.
Now they sit in a solid 11th place in La Liga, with a chance to finish in the top seven on the final day on Sunday.
Such improvement at the end of season, especially in terms of defensive solidity, makes me confident that Sevilla are a much better team than Roma at present, so SEVILLA TO LIFT THE EUROPA LEAGUE TROPHY an excellent bet for me at even-money.
At their most important point of the Serie A campaign, in with a shout of finishing In the top four, Roma have failed to win any of their last seven league matches.
The manner of their semi-final triumph hardly fills you with confidence, either. Expect the kings of the Europa League to be crowned as such again.
Sevilla v Roma best bets and score prediction
- 3pts Over 11.5 Sevilla shots in regular time at 5/6 (bet365, BoyleSports)
- 2.5pts Sevilla to lift the Europa League trophy at evens (BetVictor)
Score prediction: Sevilla 2-0 Roma (Sky Bet odds: 11/1)
Odds correct at 1330 BST (30/05/23)
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