Outspoken Roma manager Jose Mourinho says he respects his Sevilla counterpart but disagrees with his assertion that the Spanish team are favourites to win Wednesday night’s Europa League final.

Sevilla have won the trophy a record six times and they have never been beaten in a Europa League Final. Mourinho however has contested five European finals and he too has never been beaten in one. It makes for a compelling match up at Budapest’s Puskas Arena.

Speaking ahead of the final the Portuguese manager said that history would count for nothing on the night. “History does not play. My colleague thinks otherwise, I have respect for him.

“He believes that history makes Sevilla favourites, I respect that,” he said.

“We are in the final because we deserved to be, they have a history that we do not have. For them to play the final is a normal thing, for us it is an extraordinary event.

“I have had more opportunities to play in European competitions, but Mendilibar is of the same generation as me, with the same white hair. We are on an equal footing. It’s the same for the players: Sevilla have more experience, but we’ve been playing together for two years.”

Wednesday night’s game kicks off at 9pm South African time.

For both Sevilla, who won the trophy in 2006, 2007, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2020 and Roma, winning the final is their only hope of qualifying for European football next season. The winners qualify for a place in the Champions League and given that neither side’s domestic league position qualifies them for a spot in Europe, everything will be on the line in Budapest.