Antonio Conte will head into the Europa League final aiming to win a major trophy in his first season in charge of Inter Milan and extend the barren spell of his Sevilla rival Julen Lopetegui when they clash tonight in Cologne .
The difference in fortunes could not be starker as Conte won three successive Serie A titles with Juventus followed by the 2016-17 Premier League title with Chelsea, while Lopetegui has been unable to claim a single honour at senior level as coach.
The former Rayo Vallecano goalkeeper oversaw the longest trophy-less spell at Portuguese side Porto between 2014-2016 before taking charge of Spain, where he was dismissed a week before the 2018 World Cup having steered his country to the finals.
Lopetegui made way for Fernando Hierro after it was announced he’d be taking over at Real Madrid in August 2018. He only held on to the job until October that year after suffering a 5-1 La Liga thrashing by Barcelona.
The current season finally brought some joy to the 53-year-old, who guided Sevilla to a top-four finish in La Liga and then reached the Europa League final with a combative side whose work rate exceeds its talent.
Sevilla and Inter have won eight titles in Europe’s second-tier competition between them, with the Spanish side chasing a record-extending sixth trophy against their in-form rivals.
Lopetegui conceded denying Inter would be a tall order.
“The team has a very characteristic way of playing, all Conte teams have it,” he told Sevilla’s official website.
Sevilla will need to draw inspiration from their gritty 2-1 win over Manchester United, with Inter strikers Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez in devastating form as they ripped apart Shaktar Donestk 5-0 in the other semi-final.
