UEFA Europa League Final 2023, Sevilla FC vs AS Roma Preview: Serial UEL winners, or "The Special One"? — When and where to watch, timing, head-to-head, team news, venue, probable XI, squads

UEFA Europa League (UEL) Final 2023, Sevilla FC vs AS Roma: Will it be a special moment for the "Special One"? Or will it solidify the status of the most dominant team in the Europa League - which can win its seventh UEFA Europa League title tonight. The ultimate showdown of the UEFA Europa League is here. On one side, it is the undisputed champion of the tournament — Spanish club Sevilla, and on the other side is Italian club AS Roma. They will be facing each other at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest, Hungary.

Sevilla has managed to win the UEL trophy six times, which is the highest number of times a team has managed to win the trophy in the tournament's history. Roma, on the other hand, will play in their second consecutive European final after they managed to beat Dutch side Feyenoord in the inaugural UEFA Conference League last season. 

It's the kind of contest that AS Roma manager Jose Mourinho calls "football heritage." Sevilla has not performed well in the league this season, finishing out of the European qualifying spot in 11th position. But when it comes to the Europa League, they have been unstoppable. On the other hand, AS Roma has done decently in their league, as they managed to finish in the top six, securing them a spot in the Europa League next season.

But whichever team wins the Europa League final has a chance to play in the UEFA Champions League next season. For Sevilla, they will push hard to do that, as this will be their only chance to qualify for Europe next season. 

AS Roma manager Jose Mourinho will be playing in his sixth European final, and he has never lost any of the previous encounters. He is also the only manager in the world who has won all the current UEFA club football competitions – the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League, and the UEFA Conference League. 

Sevilla, on the other hand, has been the best team in the history of the competition. They have never lost a final in the Europa League. This clash is expected to be exceptional, as both teams have a similar playing style. Defensive, dirty, and dark.

UEFA Europa League (UEL) Final 2023, Sevilla FC vs AS Roma: When to watch? Match timing

The match is scheduled to be played on Thursday, June 1st, at 12:30 AM IST.

UEFA Europa League (UEL) Final 2023, Sevilla FC vs AS Roma: Where to watch? Live streaming

The match can be viewed on the Sony Sports Network in India. Fans can watch the live streaming of the UEFA Europa League final on SonyLIV and JioTV.

UEFA Europa League (UEL) Final 2023, Sevilla FC vs AS Roma: Head-to-Head Record in UEL

Roma and Sevilla faced each other just once in the UEL, back in the 2019–20 season. Sevilla won the encounter 2-0 against the Italian side and went on to win the Europa League trophy that season. This was the last time Sevilla won the competition.

UEFA Europa League (UEL) Final 2023, Sevilla FC vs AS Roma: Current Form

Since the semi-final, neither team has won a game across all competitions. Roma's last win was in the first leg of the UEL semi-final; since then, they have drawn three times and lost once, including a draw in the second leg of the UEL semi-final. In that period, Sevilla lost once and drew twice.

UEFA Europa League (UEL) Final 2023, Sevilla FC vs AS Roma: Injury List

Sevilla's defender Marcao is out injured and will be absent for the final. Also, defender Marcos Acuna will not be available due to a red card suspension, which he got in the second leg of the UEL semi-finals.

Roma will miss defenders Rick Karsdorp, who underwent knee surgery in March, and Marash Kumbulla, who sustained a cruciate ligament injury.

UEFA Europa League (UEL) Final 2023, Sevilla FC vs AS Roma: Squads, Probable XI

AS Roma manager Mourinho is expected to set up the game in a 3-4-2-1 formation. He will likely have the Portuguese shot-stopper, Rui Patricio, between the sticks. Gianluca Mancini, Chris Smalling, and Roger Ibañez will likely play as the back three. Bryan Cristante and Nemanja Matić will likely play as the two holding midfielders, along with Zeki Çelik and Leonardo Spinazzola on the flanks. Lorenzo Pellegrini and Paulo Dybala will likely play as attacking midfielders, giving support to lone striker Tammy Abraham at the top.

Sevilla manager José Luis Mendilibar is expected to go with his reliable 4-2-3-1 formation. Moroccan goalkeeper Bono is expected to start in goal. Jesús Navas and Alex Telles are expected to play as fullbacks, along with Loïc Badé and Nemanja Gudelj as the central defenders. Fernando and Ivan Rakitić will likely play as the two holding midfielders. Lucas Ocampos, Óliver Torres, and Bryan Gil are expected to play in the midfield, giving support to Youssef En-Nesyr up front. 

UEFA Europa League (UEL) Final 2023, Sevilla FC vs AS Roma: Jose Mourinho vs José Luis Mendilibar

This will be the fifth time both managers will be facing each other. Mendilibar has never won a single encounter out of the four against Mourinho in the past. Mourinho has won three and drawn one in those matches.