Despite concerns over his fitness, Paulo Dybala has been named in Roma’s starting line-up for the Europa League final against Sevilla in Budapest.
The Argentine forward has had limited playing time since his last start in April, making just four substitutes. However, Roma manager Jose Mourinho has opted to rely on his top scorer this season.
Sevilla coach Jose Luis Mendeleev has chosen the same line-up that defeated Juventus, except for Alex Telles at left-back in place of the suspended Marcos Acuna. The match will take place at the Puskas Arena, exactly one year after Roma won the inaugural Europa Conference League.
Mourinho, an experienced manager, is gunning for his sixth major continental title, while Sevilla, who beat Manchester United earlier in the campaign, have reached six finals in the competition, their best record.
The upcoming Europa League final guarantees that at least one Argentinian will be crowned champion. Sevilla’s team, which includes five Argentine players, faces Paulo Dybala’s AS Roma. Unfortunately, Marcos Acuna will not be able to participate in the final due to suspension.
In total, the final features six Argentine players, four of whom won the World Cup with the Argentine national team. Three of these players were part of the World Cup finals. Argentina’s representatives are as follows:
Sevilla: Gonzalo Montel, Lucas Ocampos, Erik Lamela, Marcos Acuna (suspended), and Papo Gomez
AS Roma: Paulo Dybala.
Notably, Marcos Acuna, Paulo Dybala, and Gonzalo Montel all played in World Cup finals. Dybala also scored Argentina’s second penalty during the penalty shootout, while Montel scored the decisive penalty that sealed Argentina’s World Cup win.
Paulo Dybala’s fitness remains a concern, and AS Roma coach Jose Mourinho has addressed the issue.
Starting Lineup:
Sevilla (4-2-3-1)
Yassin Bono Jesus Navas (capt), Loic Bade, Nemanja Godelj, Alex Tellis; Fernando, Ivan Rakitic; Lucas Ocampos, Oliver Torres, Brian Gill; Yusuf N Nesri.
Coach: Jose Luis Mendelebar (ESP)
Roma (3-4-1-2)
Rui Patricio; Gianluca Mancini, Chris Smalling, Roger Ibanez; Zeki Celik, Bryan Cristante, Nemanja Matic, Leonardo Spinazzola; Lorenzo Pellegrini (captain); Paulo Dybala, Timmy Abraham
Coach: Jose Mourinho (POR)
Referee: Anthony Taylor (ENG)
