Data drop: Everything you need to know about tonight’s Europa League semi-final fixtures
Two tantalising Europa League clashes lie in store this evening, with the final in Budapest not far away.
Italian giants Juventus will get the chance to take on Sevilla, who have lifted the trophy four times in the last decade.
Meanwhile, Roma host Bayer Leverkusen in what appears to be a very evenly-matched tie — Jose Mourinho coming up against his former player Xabi Alonso will certainly be a major talking point in that clash.
We have used the Twenty3 Toolbox to identify the standout narratives, ahead of tonight’s semi-final match-ups.
Juventus vs Sevilla: Goals galore
Both these sides possess plenty of attacking talent — and the data suggests that this fixture is likely to produce goals.
Juventus have scored nine goals in the Europa League (1.5 per 90), while Sevilla have put the ball in the back of the net 10 times in the competition (1.67 per 90).
These teams have typically troubled the scoresheet when playing continental football this season.
Constant cautions
This encounter has potential to be a fiery affair from the first minute.
Juventus have racked up 11 yellow cards in their six Europa League games so far.
But Sevilla have been even more combative, picking up 16 bookings in the competition.
Erik Lamela, Nemanja Gudelj, and Marcos Acuna have all earned the joint-most bookings for Sevilla (two), while Dusan Vlahovic has picked up the most for Juventus (also two).
However, neither side has had a man sent off.
Likely goalscorers
Juventus possess a lethal operator in the form of Angel Di Maria — the 35-year-old has scored four goals in 420 Europa League minutes.
However, you can’t write off Dusan Vlahovic. The striker may not be in top form, but he has still managed to score twice.
From Sevilla’s ranks, Youssef En-Nesyri is the obvious threat — the Moroccan is his side’s leading goalscorer in the competition, with three.
Sevilla corners
Sevilla have won a high volume of corners.
The Spanish side have taken 38 corners in the six games they have played in the Europa League so far.
That works out at 6.33 corners per 90, which is the fifth-most in the competition.
Juventus, however, average a much lower 3.33 per 90.
Outcome
Juventus, on paper, are the favourites in this tie.
They dropped down from the Champions League this season and boast a squad worthy of Europe’s elite competition.
On their way to the semi-finals, they saw off fellow Champions League drop-outs Sporting Lisbon in the last round, with a gritty 2-1 aggregate win.
Before that, they had to manoeuvre past Nantes (4-1) and Freiburg (3-0).
Sevilla, despite struggling in LaLiga, have been typically fearsome in the Europa League.
After defeating PSV (3-2) and Fenerbahce (2-1), they were tasked with the almighty obstacle of English giants Manchester United.
Despite being 2-0 down with six minutes to go in the first leg, the Spanish side turned it around to win the two-legged tie 5-2. You should never write them off in this competition.
Roma vs Bayer Leverkusen: Alonso magic
Xabi Alonso has worked wonders since his arrival at the BayArena — and his side are lethal in the final third.
Bayer Leverkusen have scored 14 goals in the Europa League, which is the eighth-most in the competition.
That is particularly impressive given they dropped down from the Champions League and have only played six games in this tournament.
Their 2.33 goals per 90, then, is unsurprisingly the best record in the competition.
Well-disciplined
Perhaps surprisingly, Roma are rather well-disciplined when it comes to bookings.
Jose Mourinho’s side only average 2.08 yellow cards per 90, although they have been shown one red card in the Europa League this season.
Leverkusen boast an even better disciplinary record, having averaged 1.5 bookings per game and — unlike their counterparts — have not had a man sent off.
Set-piece reliant Roma
Roma are a side that look to make the most of set-pieces.
In the Europa League this season, they have taken 6.08 corners per game — the eighth-most in the competition.
The Giallorossi have also been awarded 3.25 free-kicks per 90, which is the fourth-highest in the Europa League.
However, they have only managed one shot on target from a free-kick, suggesting they lack a goal threat from those situations and primarily look to deliver into the penalty area.
Sharing the goals around
Both Leverkusen and Roma have plenty of attackers that can find the back of the net.
Moussa Diaby and Floran Wirtz lead the way with three goals for the Bundesliga outfit, while Amine Adli is close behind with two.
However, Xabi Alonso also boasts six other goalscorers in his ranks for a total of nine — a very impressive amount from just six games.
Paulo Dybala and Lorenzo Pellegrini have both scored four goals for Roma, with Stephan El Shaarawy and Andrea Belotti hot on their tails with three each. The Italian side have played more games than their German counterparts, though.
Outcome
After dropping out of the Champions League, Leverkusen squeaked past Monaco in the last 16 by winning on penalties.
The German side progressed through the next two rounds with ease, dispatching Ferencvaros (4-0) and Union Saint-Gilloise (5-2).
Roma started their campaign in the Europa League, qualifying as inaugural Europa Conference League winners.
Mourinho’s side have navigated their way through Europe confidently, beating RB Salzburg (2-1), Real Sociedad (2-0) and Feyenoord (4-2).
This semi-final could be too close to call.
All visualisations in this article were produced using the Twenty3 Toolbox. For more information, please get in touch below.