Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk will debut in the Europa League final against Spain’s Sevilla on May 27 with an 11-to-2 chance of winning during 90 minutes of regular time play, according to leading British betting odds makers Paddy Power and William Hill.
Both odds setters
favor Sevilla at 8-to-15 to hoist the trophy of the sister club
tournament of the Champions League, both of which are administered by UEFA,
Europe’s top soccer governing body.
Thus, a
person placing $2 on a Dnipro victory would win $11; conversely a better risking
$15 on Sevilla would receive $8. Odds are
equal for each side if the final goes to penalties at 12-to-1, according to William
Hill.
This year’s
champion is guaranteed a Champions League placement for next season since both
teams currently are outside of their league’s qualifying position for the
continent’s most prestigious club tournament.
Dnipro
reached the final after beating Italy’s Napoli 2-1 on aggregate. Forward Yevhen
Seleznyov, who scored Dnipro’s only two goals against the Italian side,
re-injured his knee and is listed as questionable. Team manager Myron Markevych
told 2+2 channel over the weekend that Seleznyov may require surgery, but said
that he is currently in training and is day to day.
He indicated
that he will rely on 32-year-old Brazil-born forward Matheus in the final.
Meanwhile,
three-time Europa League champion Sevilla overcame Italy’s Fiorentina 5-0 on
aggregate.
Dnipro got to the final thanks to tactically astute play, “reading the
game superbly to see off far more fancied opponents,” UEFA soccer expert Igor
Linnyk said. “FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk have proven themselves masters of
getting results when it matters and stopping their opponents playing their own
game.”
Sevilla
has few weaknesses to exploit, according to UEFA
expert Santi Retortillo: “Finding
chinks in Sevilla’s armour is not easy, but a team that is at its best playing
on the counterattack might find themselves in a more unfamiliar role as they
take on a Dnipro side renowned for defensive resilience.”
Channel
2+2 will broadcast the game in Ukraine at 9:45 p.m. on Wednesday, and the
fixture can be watched online at http://2plus2.ua/online for viewers located inside the country.
