On Thursday, the semi-finals of the 2015/2016 Europa League kicks off. Reigning champions Sevilla are very much still in the competition as they hope to make it a third straight win, but Unai Emery's men first must make it past Ukrainian giants Shakhtar Donetsk.
Shakhtar, who will be hosting the first leg of this semi-finals tie, will be eager for revenge on their Spanish opponents. Back in 2007, it was Los Rojiblancos who ended their Europa League ambitions at the round of 16. And now, Mircea Lucescu, who was in charge of the team back then, will be certainly keen on making sure that Sevilla's hopes to feature in a third consecutive final do not come to pass.
Shakhtar Donetsk
Although Shakhtar won the UEFA Cup in 2009, this is their first time featuring in the semi-finals since this tournament became known as the Europa League. Since dropping down into this competition after failing to get out of their Champions League group, Lucescu's side have yet to lose a match, with five wins and one draw from their past six games.
However, their record against Spanish teams is quite poor, to say the least. Out of their past 21 matches, Shakhtar have won just four. By contrast, the Ukrainian champions have lost 12 and drawn five. At home, their record stands as two wins, three draws, and five losses.
Fortunately for the hosts, they will have most of their key players available for this crunch clash. Shakhtar have impressed so far in this competition, successfully seeing off sides like Braga, Anderlecht, and Schalke so far in their knockout campaign. Naturally, Sevilla would be a team they will be very eager to add to that growing list, starting from a vital win on their home turf this Thursday.
Sevilla
With four Europa League titles, Sevilla are the most decorated side in Europa League history. What makes their success even more impressive is that all four of these trophies have been won in the past decade (2006, 2007, 2014, and 2015). Should Los Rojiblancos manage to win it this year, they will become the first team since Bayern Munich did so from 1974 to 1976 to win three consecutive European titles.
Unai Emery's men presently sit in seventh spot in La Liga, but will still qualify for European football if they manage to successfully defend their Europa League title. Despite their indifferent form in La Liga, it is a whole other story in the Europa League in which they have lost just one out of their past 12 games. Clearly, this is where Sevilla have decided to focus all their efforts for this season, and Thursday will be their third consecutive semi-finals appearance, which makes them the first team to achieve this.
The visitors' record against Ukrainian sides is pretty solid; they are unbeaten in their past five meetings with four wins and one draw. This includes a hard-fought 3-2 victory over FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk during last season's final in Warsaw, Poland. However, for all their success in this competition, Sevilla do have one weakness: road fixtures.
Emery's side have won just once away from home all season in European competition. That was a recent 2-1 victory over fellow Spanish side Athletic Club in the quarter-finals. Prior to that, they had lost four and drawn one. As such, they will be hoping to maintain their good historical record against Ukrainian sides and improve their away form to set themselves up nicely for the second leg next week.
Sevilla do have some injury concerns coming into this game, including defender Adil Rami, meaning that Emery may have to tinker a bit with his starting XI for the match.
Which channel is broadcasting Shakhtar Donetsk vs Sevilla on TV or Online?
Both Shakhtar and Sevilla are no strangers to featuring in a Europa League final, and this looks set to be a very interesting clash between the Ukrainian powerhouse and one of the best sides in Europa League competition. For those unable to view the action live, don't worry. LiveSoccerTV.com has put together some choices to tune in via TV, computer, mobile, or tablet.
Here are some options for fans residing in the following countries:
- In the USA at 15.05 EST on: Fox Sports GO, Fox Sports 2 USA, Fox Soccer 2GO USA, ESPN3 USA
- In Ukraine at 22.05 EEST on: OLL.tv, Kanal 5 Ukrania, Futbol 1, Belarus 2
- In Spain at 21.05 CET on: beIN Sports Spain, beIN Sports Connect S.P.
- In the UK at 20.05 BST on: BT Sport 2, BT Sport Showcase, BT Sport Live Streaming
- In Canada at 15.05 ET on: beIN SPORTS CONNECT Canada, beIN Sports Canada
Live elsewhere? Check out our special Shakhtar Donetsk vs Sevilla broadcast page for viewing times and options for your current location.
*Note: Live broadcast data is subject to change*
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