Europa
Mourinho: Our budget is not the same as Sevilla’s
On Wednesday, May 31, 2023, an eagerly anticipated clash between AS Roma and Sevilla is set to take place in Budapest as they vie for the Europa League final.
Throughout the season, both teams have faced their fair share of challenges. However, amidst the pre-match banter, Jose, the manager of AS Roma, couldn’t help but downplay his own team’s capabilities by emphasizing the financial investments made by Sevilla.
The stage is now set for an intense encounter as these two football powerhouses battle it out for European glory.
Jose is quoted by Il Messaggero: “Sevilla’s budget is not the same we have at Roma. We have players who were in the second team last year.
“Sevilla have more experience but we [Roma] have been together for the last two years. My friends in Madrid say that Sevilla have a great team, two great teams because they have 25 top players. They have many options.
“But they don’t know my guys and they don’t know my team as a team and tomorrow we will be there.”
He also believes that Roma have had a tougher path to the final, saying: “It’s been a different route compared to our opponents who dropped here from the Champions League. If I’m not mistaken, we have played 14 matches to be here. We deserve to be here.”
In addition, Mourinho has confirmed that Paulo Dybala, the talented Argentinian player, is deemed fit to participate in the upcoming match, albeit for a limited duration of 20-30 minutes.
Dybala has been nursing an ankle issue, which has kept him sidelined for an extended period. His last complete game dates back to 2nd April. Despite this, his recovery progress has been positive enough to warrant a potential appearance on the field during the Europa League final clash.
Virgil van Dijk has heaped praise on Darwin Nunez for his standout performance in Liverpool’s recent Europa League match against LASK.
Nunez played a pivotal role in the match as Liverpool found themselves trailing 1-0, but Nunez’s contribution turned the tide in their favor, ultimately leading to a 3-1 victory.
Nunez’s crucial moment came in the form of a penalty kick in the second half. Just before Nunez stepped up to take the penalty, Virgil van Dijk briefly held the ball and appeared as though he might take the spot-kick himself. This momentary delay allowed Nunez to maintain his composure and focus on the task at hand.
Van Dijk also emphasized the significance of the mental aspect of these high-pressure moments in matches, highlighting the importance of maintaining one’s composure and mental fortitude when facing critical situations.
He said: “You have to make sure you protect at least the penalty spot. It’s a bit of a mind game there – maybe they were going to try and get in your head.
“It was always the plan that Darwin was going to take it, and I’m glad he scored.”
Van Dijk additionally added that Nunez is beginning to show the world what’s really going on with him:
“Darwin was very important for us against LASK and long may it continue. Up front, the competition is quite good.”
“They all have to push each other and it’s good to see. Everyone has a role to play whether you start or not. Everyone has now seen the potential and the quality he has.”
Liverpool has secured qualification for the 2023/24 Europa League after finishing in fifth place in the Premier League.
As a result, they will be placed in Pot 1 for the group stage draw, which is scheduled to take place in August.
In the group stage, Liverpool will be drawn against teams from Pots 2, 3, and 4. However, no two clubs from the same country can be drawn in the same group.
The teams in each pot are as follows:
Pot 1:
- Liverpool
- West Ham
- AS Roma
- Villarreal
- Bayer Leverkusen
- Atalanta
Pot 1 or 2:
- Sporting CP
- Rennes
Pot 2 or 3:
- Real Betis
Pot 2, 3, or 4:
- Brighton
- Freiburg
- Toulouse
Pot 1, 2, 3, or 4:
- 4 losers of Champions League third qualifying round (League Path)
- 4 losers of Champions League play-off round (Champions Path)
- 2 losers of Champions League play-off round (League Path)
- 10 play-off round winners
Despite finishing seventh in La Liga last season and qualifying for the Europa Conference League, Osasuna has been banned from participating in the competition following an internal investigation by UEFA.
The investigation was prompted by Osasuna’s previous link to match-fixing, which occurred around a decade ago.
In January, members of Osasuna’s previous board were convicted of various charges, including misappropriation, accounting crime, falsification of documents, and sports corruption.
However, Osasuna is reportedly planning to appeal against the ban, according to reports from Football Espana.
If the ban is upheld, Athletic Club, who finished eighth in La Liga, could potentially take Osasuna’s place in the Europa Conference League.
The final decision on the matter is yet to be determined.
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