Against All Odds: Europa Goal-Fest

15May 2013

Europa Liga

It's the Europa League Final live on ITV1 tonight at 19:45 and Paul Robinson thinks we could be in for an exciting clash between Benfica and Chelsea.

Benfica earned their way through to the final courtesy of a 3-2 aggregate win over Fenerbache in the semis. This should be a joyous occasion for The Eagles as it's a chance to win only their third ever European trophy however recent results in their domestic league might have taken the shine off things.

Jorge Jesus' side were set to lift their first Primeira Liga title since 2010 but a home draw to Estoril followed by a 2-1 defeat to rivals Porto on Saturday will have left them devastated. With just one game to go, Porto are in the box-seat and Benfica need them to slip up on the final day. The loss at the weekend came in heart-breaking fashion as they fell to an injury time winner after leading 1-0 early on.

Oscar Cardozo is their main man in front of goal and he has netted six times in this competition thus far to add to the two he got in the Champions League. With him on the field the Portuguese always look like scoring and that is a vital threat as they don't keep too many clean sheets.

Chelsea were in the Champions League final this time last year and despite this not being as prestigious a competition, it will still be some achievement if they can lift the trophy in Amsterdam this evening.

Rafa Benitez is still to win over the Chelsea faithful but they have at least quietened down a bit as he has led them to a top four finish and 90 minutes away from more silverware.

The Blues cruised past Basel in the semi's and they warmed up for this match with a 2-1 win at Villa Park in the Premier League. It came at a cost though as Eden Hazard picked up an injury that has ended his campaign, although Juan Mata is fit and he's still their main man.

Fernando Torres may have only scored seven times in the league this term but it's been a different story in Europe. El Nino has scored eight times in the Champions and Europa League and what sometimes goes unnoticed is his unselfishness in front of goal as the Spaniard has 10 assists to his name.

This may be a final but I can't see it being a cautious affair. Benfica are great going forward but clean sheets are a rarity for them. Chelsea have plenty of firepower all over the pitch and with under 2.5 goals trading around the 1.83 mark, I have to make it my lay of the day.