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FC Sevilla will look to capitalize on a 2-2 first leg draw in Ukraine and qualify for the Europa League final, but Shakhtar showed last week that they are no pushovers and have the ability to spring an upset against the top sides.
Sevilla is not exactly in tip top shape lately, winning just one of the last 7 matches in all competitions – but this may well be attributed to the fact that they have nothing left to fight for in La Liga. For example, Sevilla fielded the second team in a 0-1 loss at Espanyol over the weekend. The hosts did well in the important matches, knocking out Athletic Bilbao in the Europa League quarterfinals and claiming a good result last Thursday in Ukraine.
Shakhtar Donetsk is on the back of a fantastic 3-0 win over Dynamo Kiev, despite resting a number of key players ahead of this match with Sevilla. It was the second very good game in a row for the Ukraineans, who also played at a great level in the previous Europa League tie with Braga, winning 6-1 on aggregate. On the other hand, Shakhtar did struggle recently in the league and the win against Dynamo will probably not be enough to win the title.
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Team news & lineups:
Team news are pretty much identical to the ones in the first leg. Krohn-Dehli, Andreolli, Reyes and possibly Tremoulinas are out for Sevilla, while Shakhtar will not have Fred and Azevedo in the lineup.
FC Sevilla: Soria – Mariano, Rami, Carrico, Escudero – N’Zonzi, Krychowiak – Vitolo, Banega, Konoplyanka – Gameiro
Shakhtar Donetsk: Pyatov – Srna, Kucher, Rakitsky, Ismaily – Stepanenko, Malyshev – Marlos, Kovalenko, Taison – Ferreyra
The first leg was an evenly matched affair, with the draw being more or less a fair result. Sevilla is a clear favorite at home, but they need to be at their best in order to rout a Shakhtar team that has played very well in the last week – even if the Ukrainians don`t quite have the quality they had a few years ago.
Nevertheless, I do think Sevilla will have enough to qualify for the final with a victory. They are just too dominant at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, where they won 18 of the last 21 games in all competitions (albeit just 1 of the last 4). They also have massive Europa League experience, which will be important.
No match is similar to the other, but if Sevilla held Shakhtar in check in Ukraine, you have to feel they should do the job at home. Sevilla doesn`t need a win to qualify, but is expected to score against a shaky Shakhtar defense – especially with the visitors needing to attack. So if the hosts stay safe at the back, they should claim victory. My tip is Sevilla to win. Prediction: FC Sevilla – Shakhtar Donetsk 3-1.
Pick: Sevilla
Odds: 1.70 @ Betsson
Stake: 8
Possible profit: 5.60
Event date: 5 May
