1. Who Has The Better Strike Force
Cup Finals are won and lost by who has the better defenders, who keeps possession the most in the middle of the park and, chiefly, (and for fear of stating the obvious) who scores the most goals. Benfica's Oscar Cardozo will be the biggest threat for the Portuguese side going forward and the South American has scored in six of his team's last ten matches against English opposition, which will be a concern for Chelsea. Fernando Torres hasn't scored a Premier League goal all year but has been potent in the Europa League having netted five times in this competition, and will be expected to carry the majority of his side's attacking threat in the absence of the ineligible Ba. Cardozo has scored 6 in this competition - one more than his Chelsea counterpart - and he does make a habit out of scoring against the English. It will be up to the Chelsea defence to keep him quiet but then you also run the risk of overlooking the excellent Gaitan who will play in support tonight. Juan Mata will serve as the foil for Torres while Oscar, Ramires and Lampard will also contribute to the attack and really, the winner of tonight's Europa League Final will depend upon which attack force turns up.
Verdict Benfica are the form team and arguably have the stronger squad on paper and will also be out with a huge point to prove as they hope to put an end to 50 years of hurt. Chelsea equally have a point to prove and will be hoping their opponents once again bottle it in the final. But if Torres doesn't turn up and Cardozo and co do, it could be a difficult evening for the Blues.
Benfica 2-1 ChelseaWho do you think will win the Europa League Final? Let us know in the comment section, below.