Mourinho finds AS Roma underdog in EL final: ‘Seville has two good teams’ | Football

“They have a history and experience that we don’t have. For them it is almost normal to play in the Europa League final, for us it is extraordinary,” Mourinho said at the forward-looking press conference in Budapest.

Mourinho was referring to the six Europa League finals (formerly UEFA Cup) that Sevilla played in recent years and always won. “In the meantime, for the fans of Seville, it is like a trip to Spain. For our fans, it is a historic event,” Mourinho continued.

“Seville has 26 quality players. They can field two top teams,” said Mourinho, who was then asked if AS Roma has a higher budget and should therefore be favorites against Sevilla. “I don’t believe that. But if that’s the case, they don’t earn enough at Sevilla,” he said wittily.

For sixty-year-old Mourinho, the meeting with Sevilla is his sixth European final as a trainer. The previous five were won, but he also does not see that as an advantage over the less experienced Sevilla coach José Luis Mendilibar in a European context.

“In terms of experience, the only thing is that I have had more opportunities to coach in Europe. But we are talking about two coaches who have the same years of experience. Moreover, we both have white hair,” told ‘The Special One’.

At the conclusion of the press conference, Mourinho still had news from the infirmary. “No one has asked me about Paulo Dybala, but I can tell you that tomorrow he will be in for at least 20 to 30 minutes,” he said in the run-off.

Dybala’s return is important for AS Roma. The Argentinian was decisive earlier this campaign with a goal against Feyenoord, which forced extra time. The Europa League final between AS Roma and Sevilla starts on Wednesday at 9 p.m.