Inter Milan will have to battle against all odds to secure victory against the most succesful Europa League club in the recent time.
In Cologne, Germany tonight, the Europa Legue final will be contested by Inter Milan and Sevilla.
Inter Milan have waited 10 years to reach another European final. In 2010, the Italian giants last won a European title in the season 2009/2010 when they won the Champions League.
Now they are hoping to add the Europa League trophy to their cabinet once again. But in their way are five-times winner Sevilla.
The La Liga club have lifted the trophy twice more than any other side and are aiming for a record-extending sixth title, although Inter are among the sides in joint second place on three wins.
They last won the UEFA Cup in the 1997/98 season and have not featured in a European final since their 2009/10 Champions League victory.
But on a personal level, the two managers who are both managing in their first major European final could not be further apart in their trophy haul.
Antonio Conte will head into the Europa League final aiming to win a major trophy in his first season in charge of Inter Milan and extend the barren spell of his Sevilla rival, Julen Lopetegui.
Lopetegui made way for Fernando Hierro after it was announced he’d be taking over at Real Madrid in August 2018.
He only held on to the job until October that year after suffering a 5-1 La Liga thrashing by Barcelona.
They demonstrated this with a 2-1 comeback win against Manchester United in the semi-finals, taking advantage of some sloppy defending to extend their unbeaten run to 20 games in all competitions the longest such run in the club’s history.
But Inter are also in devastating form. They saw off Shakhtar Donetsk with a proverbial flick of the wrist, winning 5-0 in their semi-final meeting.
They’re also unbeaten in 11 games, winning the last six in all competitions and finishing just a point behind Juventus in Serie A.
