There’s no getting away from it.
Sevilla were the team I wanted Liverpool to avoid.
Even in previous rounds when we were drawn against Utd, Dortmund and Villarreal, I breathed a sigh of relief at missing the side that we now meet in the final.
After all, they have won this trophy the last two years.
However, there are lots of reasons for optimism.
If you want to win any competition, you have to beat the best teams.
We have already beaten Utd, Dortmund and Villarreal.
And beaten them well, I might add.
Why not Sevilla too?
They are a team with several injuries.
They also have one eye on Sunday – another cup final against Barcelona.
What’s more, their away record isn’t a good one.
And while it may not mean much in the final, Liverpool were drawn as the home side.
We’ve shown time and again this season that we can beat anyone on our day.
The big wins against Chelsea, Manchester City and Southampton showed that when this Liverpool side is up for it, they can sweep any team aside with Klopp’s ‘seek and destroy’ style of play.
Consistency has been our downfall but consistency isn’t as relevant in a one-off game.
It’s also a big plus that we don’t usually lose European Cup finals.
We’ve won five Champions Leagues – more than any other British team.
Only twice have we lost in the final of that competition; 1985 and 2007.
And as far as the Europa League goes, we’ve won never lost in the final.
Our three wins came in 1973, 1976 and 2001.
It’s up to Klopp’s men to emulate that tonight.
Win and this can be the catalyst for a bright and exciting future.
As the song goes: He’s taken over power, he’s only just begun.