--snipped--
Galatasaray's squad was quite strong. Talented players like Osimhen and Icardi were in Galatasaray's squad. I considered Galatasaray to be the favorite to win the Europa League. But Galatasaray's performance against AZ Alkmaar was very poor.
Yes, they failed because in the first leg alone they were already 4-1 behind on aggregate, and one of the reasons might be because of Osimhen's absence in that match. Yes, Galatasaray's performance should not have been that weak. However, it is undeniable that Az Alkmaar's performance was also very good at that time.
Well, if you look at this chart, could the final be Lazio vs Bilbao? Or will there be another surprise? Like Fenerbache in the Final? This will be quite difficult to predict.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DGVb-AaIir8/?img_index=2One could see Lazio against Bilbao as the safe bet. But this is the Europa League, where "favorite" means quite nothing! Bilbao is playing as a team possessed, and they have the dream scenario with the final at San Mamés. Lazio, Sure, they ranked highest in the league phase, but they have dropped seven Serie A games (not precisely "unbeatable" material). Fenerbahçe, THAT's a wildcard. Mourinho thrives in knockout football. Should he drag them to the last, the scene will be absolute chaos. Not to be overlooked, though, Eintracht Frankfurt won in 2022 and sits third in the Bundesliga; Ekitike is on fire
Surprises? This is Europa League. Prepare for something crazy. Man United may make it to the final then bottling it, Ajax perhaps transforms into prime 2019 out of nowhere, or AZ Alkmaar just slipping through while nobody is looking