Will Sevilla match Feyenoord's success as Europa League hosts?

Sevilla are the most successful team in the history of the Europa League, having won the crown on six occasions. They last lifted the trophy in the 2019/20 campaign after beating Inter Milan in a thriller in Cologne. Julen Lopetegui’s men were outstanding to defeat the Italian outfit, and duly took their place in the Champions League along with collecting the trophy.

Los Nervionenses did note compete in the Europa League in the 2020/21 campaign after qualifying for the second round of the Champions League. Lopetegui’s men were beaten 5-4 by Dortmund in another thrilling contest, despite the best efforts of Youssef En-Nesyri late in the second leg. Their campaign reached a disappointing end in the 2021/22 season after qualifying for the competition through LaLiga. The Spanish outfit finished third behind Lille and Red Bull Salzburg, sending them into the Europa League. Although Sevilla have been disappointed to miss out on a place in the last 16 of the Champions League, they have now been represented with a rare opportunity.

The club are backed at 3/1 in the Europa League betting odds to win the competition, with the final taking place in their home ground of the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium in May. Since the Europa League moved to a one-off final in 1998 only one club has won the crown as hosts, which was Feyenoord in 2002. Sevilla have all the credentials as highlighted in the Europa League betting preview to go all the way and win the trophy for a record-breaking seventh time.

Opportunities to win the Europa League as the hosts have not been afforded to many teams over the last 24 years. Lyon had the last chance to win the crown as hosts in the 2017/18 season, and the French outfit progressed as far as the round of 16, only to suffer a surprising defeat at the hands of CSKA Moscow.

Feyenoord were an outlier in 2002 with a brilliant surge to the final in Rotterdam. After crashing out of the Champions League, the Dutch outfit entered the competition in the third round and edged their way past Freiburg before narrowly beating Rangers by a 4-3 margin. Only Pierre van Hooijdonk’s late strike prevented them from losing at the hands of PSV Eindhoven in the last eight. The striker’s stoppage-time effort sent the contest to extra-time before he then scored the decisive penalty in a shootout to send his team through to the semi-finals. In classic Feyenoord fashion they played out a tense two-leg affair with Inter Milan and scraped through to the final in De Kuip.

Borussia Dortmund awaited Feyenoord in the final where goals from Van Hoojidonk and Jon Dahl-Tomasson downed the German outfit to allow Bert van Marwijk and his team to lift the trophy in Rotterdam. In an ironic twist, Dortmund are the leading contenders for the Europa League ahead of Sevilla in this season’s competition. Another host could be on a collision course with Die Schwarz Gelben in May should they surge through the knockout stage.

Despite their underachievement in the Champions League, Lopetegui has a talented squad at his disposal. Youssef En-Nesyri, Suso, Erik Lamela, Jules Kounde, Papu Gomez and Lucas Ocampos are all excellent players. If they play to their potential the 20-year wait for a host team to win the Europa League could be over at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan at the end of the campaign.