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Sevilla vs Inter Milan LIVE!
Sevilla won the Europa League for the sixth time on Friday night following a five-goal thriller against Inter Milan.
Luuk de Jong netted a double for the LaLiga outfit after Romelu Lukaku's early penalty, but Diego Godin quickly had Antonio Conte's side back on level terms.
An engrossing contest was settled 16 minutes from time when Diego Carlos' bicycle kick was turned into his own net by Lukaku.
Follow all the latest reaction in Standard Sport's LIVE blog below!
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Date, time and venue
Sevilla vs Inter Milan is scheduled for an 8pm BST kick-off on Friday, August 21, 2020.
The match will be played behind closed doors at the RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne, with no fans due to be present due to government guidelines regarding coronavirus.
How to watch
TV channel: The match will be televised live on BT Sport 1 and BT Sport Ultimate, with coverage starting from 7pm.
Live stream: BT Sport subscribers will be able to stream the match online via the video player and the BT Sport app.
Team news
Sevilla XI: Bounou; Navas, Kounde, Diego Carlos, Reguilon; Banega, Fernando, Jordan; Suso, De Jong, Ocampos
Subs: Vaclik, Sergi Gomez, Munir, Gudelj, Escudero, Oliver Torres, Vazquez, Jose Alonso, Sanchez, Genero, Pablo Perez, En-Nesyri
Inter XI: Handanovic; Godin, De Vrij, Bastoni; D'Ambrosio, Barella, Brozovic, Gagliardini, Young; Lukaku, Martinez
Subs: Padelli; Alexis Sanchez, Moses, Sensi, Ranocchia, Valero, Eriksen, Esposito, Pirola, Biraghi, Skriniar, Candreva
Prediction: Sevilla 1-2 Inter Milan
This is a really difficult contest to predict, with both sides full of confidence and in great form.
Sevilla have triumphed in eight of their last nine matches, while Inter have won five straight in European competition for the first time in a decade.
A thrilling final should await and it would not be a surprise to see this tie progress through to extra-time and penalties.
However, Inter boasting two of the continent's most in-form strikers in Lautaro Martinez and Romelu Lukaku, plus their miserly defensive record - one goal conceded in seven games - could well give them the edge.
Lukaku has now scored in 10 successive Europa League outings and will be eager to extend that record further when it matters most.
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Some Inter Milan fans have pitched up around the RheinEnergieStadion despite not being allowed in tonight.
If they shout loud enough, the Nerazzurri *might* be able to hear them.
Photo: AP
The Sevilla squad have been getting a feel for the conditions out on the pitch on what is a warm evening in Cologne.
Photo: AFP
Conte knows best
A man as meticulous as Antonio Conte likes things structured and without any new injuries or suspensions, the Italian boss has kept an unchanged XI from the team that beat Shakhtar 5-0.
Photo: ReutersHis team produced a perfectly balanced performance and hit the Ukrainians hard on the counter, with Lukaku and Martinez in devastating form.
Former Man United full-back Ashley Young starts on the left flank ahead of Cristiano Biraghi and Victor Moses. Christian Eriksen and Alexis Sanchez, signed from Tottenham and United, are both on the bench.
De Jong starts ahead of En-Nesyri
Choosing only 11 players for a European final can always spring some surprises - whether it's tactical or personnel.
Photo: AFPSevilla coach Julen Lopetegui has made a big decision to drop Youssef En-Nesyri in favour of starting Luuk de Jong, who scored the winner against Manchester United in the semi-final.
En-Nesyri, who signed for the Andalusian outfit in January from Leganes, has been first-choice ever since but De Jong has got the nod in Germany.
Otherwise, it's as you were for the Spanish side with Yacine Bounou retained in goal ahead of Tomas Vaclik after his heroic display in goal against Man United.
Inter Milan team news
Starting XI: Handanovic; Godin, De Vrij, Bastoni; D'Ambrosio, Barella, Brozovic, Gagliardini, Young; Lukaku, Martinez.
Subs: Padelli; Alexis Sanchez, Moses, Sensi, Ranocchia, Valero, Eriksen, Esposito, Pirola, Biraghi, Skriniar, Candreva.
Sevilla team news
Starting XI: Bounou; Navas, Kounde, Diego Carlos, Reguilon; Banega, Fernando, Jordan; Suso, De Jong, Ocampos.
Subs: Vaclik, Sergi Gomez, Munir, Gudelj, Escudero, Oliver Torres, Vazquez, Jose Alonso, Sanchez, Genero, Pablo Perez, En-Nesyri.
90 minute warning!
So here we are then. After 13 gruelling months and hundreds of games, we have finally arrived at the Europa League final in Cologne.
The RheinEnergieStadion - home to FC Koln in the Bundesliga - is the venue for the final. The capacity doesn't really matter too much because fans are not allowed to attend.
We'll have the confirmed teams very shortly, so stay tuned!
Photo: AFP
Fast final facts
++ This is the 11th Europa League final since the competition was renamed. The previous 10 have produced 29 goals and the biggest winning margin is three goals: Chelsea 4-1 Arsenal (2019), Atletico 3-0 Marseille (2018) and Atletico Madrid 3-0 Athletic Club (2012).
++ The highest number of goals scored in the final is five – Sevilla's 3-2 victory over Dnipro in 2015, then last season's 4-1 win for Chelsea.
++ Sevilla have both won all three of their Europa League finals, sharing the record number of victories. Sevilla are making a record fourth appearance in the final, Inter their first.
++ Inter are bidding to become the fifth team to win the Europa League after crossing over in mid-season from the Champions League after the group stage, following Atlético (2009/10, 2017/18), Chelsea (2012/13) and Sevilla (2015/16).
++ Amazingly, there has never been a sending-off or an own goal in a Europa League final.
Sevilla winger Lucas Ocampos believes that as five-time winners, the pressure will be on the Andalusian outfit...
Photo: PA"This team have a strong history in this competition and with that comes a pressure. "It’s a good pressure because having that standing is a good thing, and looking ahead to the teams we are going to face, it makes you want to play the next game as soon as possible."
De Jong: It was amazing to beat Man Utd
Sevilla striker Luuk de Jong, who scored the winning goal against Manchester United in the semi-final, reflects on that night in Dusseldorf.
"At one point we could have lost easily. But we kept fighting, kept going and it's a real big compliment to the team and also to our goalkeeper [Yassine Bounou], who saved us a lot. "You saw the celebrations after the game, beating one of the biggest teams in the world, it's always an amazing feeling."