The UEFA Europa League may not have the appeal of the Champions League but Wednesday’s final in Basel could see history in the making.
Four-time champions Sevilla will take on three-time winners Liverpool from St. Jakob-Park in Switzerland.
While both finished in the top 10 of their respective leagues this season, both Liverpool and Sevilla are seeking out hardware to cap off the 2015-16 campaign. The Rojiblancos already hold the most Europa League titles of any team (4), and are looking to add to that total with their third straight trophy in the competition.
For Jurgen Klopp’s side, a title in the competition would be their first since the tournament changed over from the UEFA Cup. Their last triumph came in 2001, when the Reds knocked off Jordi Cruyff, son of Johan, and Spanish side Alaves in the final.
The two clubs have had very different paths to Basel, with Sevilla bailing out of this year’s Champions League in the group stage after facing a different draw with the likes of Manchester City, Juventus and Borussia Monchengladbach. Comfortable wins over Basel and Molde kicked off their Europa League knockout phase, before the Sevillistas dispatched of Athletic Bilbao and Shakhtar Donetsk in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively.
The Reds escaped their Group B draw with 10 points, edging second place side Sion by a single point. From there, Liverpool has faced and conquered several of Europe’s top sides including Manchester United, Borussia Dortmund and most recently Villareal to reach the final.
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