After a grueling 10 month fixture list, the Europa League finalists will be determined on Thursday, as the semifinals come to their conclusion.
Thursday programming alert: Watch Chelsea v Basel (on Sportsnet) and Benfica v Fenerbahce (on Sportsnet ONE). Live coverage begins at 3:00 pm ET/noon PT. You can also watch both games on Sportsnet World Online
Chelsea vs. FC Basel
(Chelsea leads 2-1 on aggregate)
The Swiss champions squandered their best chance at booking a flight to the final in Amsterdam, succumbing to a late winner by David Luiz that earned Chelsea a hard-fought victory inside enemy territory.
The Brazilian defender — who was deployed as a midfielder for the match — scored a sublime free-kick and thrived in his new role. Luiz has been heavily criticized for his lackadaisical approach to defensive responsibilities at the heart of the Blues’ back-line, venturing too far forward and consistently getting caught out of position.
The switch was welcomed by Luiz, judging by his performance, and the vacancy at the back was filled by John Terry — re-admitted into the squad by Rafa Benitez. Tactically, the Spaniard out-managed his counter-part on the Basel bench Murat Yakin.
Taking nothing away from Basel’s tremendous achievements; it’s a proven fact that their powers derive from within St. Jakob-Park. Having yet to earn an away win in Europe this season (four loses in six games), the prospect of breaking their road woes at Stamford Bridge is unlikely, especially since Chelsea have secured 32 of a possible 39 points after losing back-to-back games at the start of this calendar year.
Should Basel produce the inconceivable in London, it would be considered one of the biggest upsets in this competition’s history.
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Benfica vs. Fenerbahce
(Fenerbahce leads 1-0 on aggregate)
A slim one-goal advantage will be incredibly difficult for Fenerbahce to maintain at the Estadio Da Luz in the return fixture.
On a rare off night, Benfica were there to be taken in Istanbul, and the end result should have been much worse. The hosts should have found the target a few times prior to Egeman Korkmaz’s eventual match-winner in the 72nd minute. All you had to do was look at the reaction of Christian Baroni following his missed penalty right before half-time; his emotional breakdown spoke volumes to the missed opportunity, as the midfielder had to be consoled by teammates. However, it will pale in comparison to the heartache felt should they lay an egg in Lisbon.
Benfica are almost unbeatable on home turf, losing only to Barcelona in the Champions League. It was also the only time the Portuguese side failed to resister a goal in Lisbon. Comparisons to the Catalan giants might be pushing it, though, Fener hold quite an intimidating undefeated record away from home (four wins in six game), and a remarkable four clean sheets.
Despite the visitors’ exploits on their European travels, and slight advantage after the first-leg, the Lisbon Lions are still favoured to overturn the result and earn their ninth European finals appearance.
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