Wednesday, 16 May 2007

Uefa Cup Final Preview - Interesting Facts

Swiss match official Massimo Busacca will referee the final.

Espanyol striker Pandiani scored a first-half hat-trick against Real Madrid on Saturday night.

Sevilla's Julien Escudé is the only player to miss the final through suspension.

Sevilla's Renato will celebrate his 28th birthday on 15 May, the day before the final.

Espanyol's Francisco Chica will celebrate his 22nd birthday on 17 May, the day after the final.

Ramos can also become the first coach to win UEFA Cups in successive seasons.

Having appeared in the 1988 final with Espanyol, Valverde will become only the third coach to both play and coach in UEFA Cup finals. Should his side lose against Sevilla, he would become the first coach to have been a loser in the final as a player and a coach.

The two teams' first meeting of the season in December ended with a 2-1 win for the Catalan side in Barcelona. Raúl Tamudo and Luis García scored for the hosts after Kanouté had given Sevilla the lead from the penalty spot.
Sevilla beat Espanyol 3-1 in the league on 29 April, with Antonio Puerta, Ernesto Chevantón and José Luis Martí finding the net for Ramos's side and Ferrán Corominas scoring the only goal for Espanyol.

There will be plenty of interest in the match in Uruguay, with both sides' top scorers in this season's UEFA Cup - Espanyol's Pandiani and Sevilla's Chevantón - hailing from that country.

Uruguayan striker Pandiani is the UEFA Cup's top scorer this season with eleven goals, while team-mate Luis García has managed six strikes.

Espanyol have never played a competitive European game in Scotland before.

Espanyol remain the highest scorers in this season's UEFA Cup with 32 goals. They have conceded just nine. They are unbeaten in 14 UEFA Cup games this season going back to their first-round victory against FC Artmedia.

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