We’re down to the final four in the UEFA Europa League.
Two marquee clashes are set for the semifinals—one all-Spanish affair, and the other a battle between two historical, European club giants.
Here’s a look at both matches…
Thursday programming alert: Watch Benfica vs. Juventus (on Sportsnet) and Sevilla vs. Valencia (on Sportsnet World). Live coverage begins at 2:55 pm ET/ 11:55 am PT. | Sportsnet World Online | TV schedule
Benfica vs. Juventus
Benfica clinched the Portuguese title over the weekend—their 33rd domestic crown and first since 2010—which helped erase bad memories of last year’s catastrophic capitulation when Eagles supporters watched horrifically as their beloved team relinquished all three of their title aspirations in a two-week span. A potential treble is once again on their radar and within grasp this year, having already secured a domestic cup final date. All that is left for the chance at history is to defeat the Italian champions and deny them the opportunity to contest the Europa League final in their home stadium. Lisbon’s Stadium of Light will stage Thursday’s fixture—a place where the hosts haven’t been defeated in 12 European matches. Benfica have also posted an impressive overall 17 game unbeaten run in the Europa League (15 wins), and are now the leaders in victories (24) and goals scored (66) in the new-look competition.
Mathematically, the Bianconeri have yet to clinch their third successive Serie A title, though it’s pretty much a done deal with only four games left to play and an eight point lead. Had Juventus Stadium not been awarded host status for the Europa League final, it’s doubtful the pressure to go the distance and hoist the Europa League trophy would merit the same intensity. Juve are without a doubt a Champions League side, thus dropping down to Europe’s secondary competition this season was a huge blow to the club’s massive ego. However, the opportunity to cement their place in the history books—by becoming only the second team to win the title on their own ground—is quite an appealing incentive. Since joining the Europa League in February, Juventus are undefeated (five wins and one draw), with three of those victories coming away from home. Juventus striker Carlos Tevez may be fit after missing his side’s last two games with a thigh injury and midfielder Arturo Vidal could also be back after a knee problem.
Sevilla vs. Valencia
The all-Spanish semifinal pits current Sevilla manager Unai Emery against his former employers, adding a little spice to a fixture involving two sides very familiar with one another. Seville’s Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium will host Thursday’s first leg, and it’s a place where the visitors are encroaching on a decade-long winless run, having last departed with a victory in May 2004. However daunting the task at hand might appear, Valencia proved their resiliency in the face of adversity against FC Basel in the last round, overcoming a 3-0 first-leg deficit to win 5-3 on aggregate. Pablo Alcacer confirmed the remarkable comeback by scoring a memorable hat trick to lead los Che into the last four. The 20 year-old forward is now the top scorer left in the competition with seven goals and only needs one more to match FC Salzburg’s Jonatan Soriano as the overall leader this season.
Eight months, seven countries travelled and 16 games played. Sevilla are the longest surviving team in the competition, having started their campaign in the third round of qualifying. They became only the fourth side to reach the semifinals from their starting position. The journey towards being crowned UEFA Cup/Europa League champions for a third time in club history has been interminably treacherous, and similar to their opponents, Sevilla has forged a reputation for second-leg heroics. An anxiety-laced shootout victory over city rivals Real Betis—having trailed 2-0 heading into the return fixture—was followed by a 4-1 hammering of FC Porto after losing the first-leg 1-0 in Portugal. Count them out at your peril.
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