A lot of eyes will be on the Puskas Arena in Hungary tonight (Wednesday) as Sevilla face AS Roma in the Europa League final.
With the La Liga side recognised as the most successful team in the competition's history having lifted the trophy on six occasions - in fact, each time they have reached a final - something has to give as they're coming up against Jose Mourinho who has never lost a major European final.
Furthermore, this match represents the last chance for either club to qualify for next season's Champions League by virtue of being the Europa League holders as neither Sevilla or Roma can seal a top-four finish in their respective domestic leagues even with one more round of fixtures to go.
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And for that reason, this final is the dream scenario for Arsenal. Of course, Mikel Arteta's side will be back at Europe's top table after finishing as runners-up to Manchester City in the Premier League this season, but being ranked 23rd in the UEFA coefficient table did have them on course for a nightmare draw in the group phase.
However, Chelsea (3), Liverpool (4), Juventus (8), Ajax (13), Villarreal (18), Tottenham (21) and Eintracht Frankfurt (22) all failed to qualify for the Champions League next season, which in turn has paved the way for the Gunners to be placed in Pot 2 instead of Pot 3 when the groups are drawn in August.
It should be pointed out that final coefficients for the season are still to be confirmed but as things currently stand, Arsenal can be paired with Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain or Bayern Munich in the group stage, but they'll be kept away from the likes of Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.
In addition, the north London outfit can be drawn against either Sevilla or Roma because UEFA rules state Pot 1 will consist of the holders, the UEFA Europa League winners and the champions of the six highest-ranked nations who did not qualify via one of the 2022/23 continental titles.
Interestingly both clubs are ahead of Arsenal in the UEFA coefficient table. Although the fact that whoever loses the Europa League final hasn't qualified for the Champions League via their league position, the Gunners' seeding will remain unaffected in a huge boost for Arteta.
Now, previously Juventus were the only team that could still deny Arsenal this dream scenario as it was reported that they were planning to appeal being docked ten points in a new ruling by the Italian football federation's appeals court after an investigation into the club’s transfer dealings found evidence of false accounting.
Having said that, the club's CFO Francesco Calvo effectively confirmed they will accept the decision which rules them out of the top-four race in Serie A: "We have said from the start very clearly that we feel we were punished unjustly, that it has been disproportionate, that we started the trial accused of violating one article, but concluded it condemned for a completely different one," he revealed, as per Football Italia. "That is water under the bridge now, this is definitive and we are focused on the pitch."
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