Unai Emery has spoken of Sevilla’s love affair with the Europa League, describing the competition as a ‘second wife’ ahead of the Liverpool final.
Sevilla are going for their fifth UEFA Cup/Europa League against the Reds and third in a row in the final, to be played on Wednesday in Basel, and the Coach is aware of the magnitude of the occasion for his club.
“Every time football gives you an opportunity you have to go for it. History is written in the present and we want to live through it again. It will be a very difficult match, with the history Liverpool have. Because of our respect for the opponent, we have to give the last drop of sweat and every drop of blood,” Emery began, AS reports.
“We have to feel the support of our fans, to feel them behind us. There’ll be a lot of Liverpool fans but ours are there too and we’ll feel them. This competition is our second partner, the second wife of Sevillistas.
“Liverpool are one of the top 10 clubs in the world. We don’t need to quote their history. 18 times national champion, five-time European champions…this Liverpool has very much been touched by Jurgen Klopp. They’re a high-pressure team, with good players.
“If we want to do something it is to grow and we have to grab every opportunity with all our strength. We know we can write our names in Sevilla for the rest of our lives. Needless to say, we’re emotional. But it’s necessary to have balance.
“I think it’s 50-50. Them for their history and the favourites they have eliminated, and we are the holders and we have arguments to defend our trophy. The key will be to counteract each other’s qualities. That’s the key to the game.
“We don’t feel pressure in the negative sense. We know that to win we have to do things perfectly, or nearly perfect. You have to know how to experience this as something special. We have to be prepared for two rhythms, a game in which the tempo will be higher because that’s what Liverpool want and we do sometimes. And then the control.
“We’re prepared to play even more than 90 minutes. We know it will be a long game and anything can happen. It’s a game with great intensity. There are times we’ll go dancing, and others where we have to rest before returning to the dance.”
