UEFA’s Super Cup deadline puts Sevilla under pressure
Europa League winners Sevilla will face Manchester City at Stadio Georgios Karaiskakis in Piraeus, Greece on 16 August.
Sevilla fans, who have followed their team competing in Europe year in, year out, are already more than familiar with the issue of UEFA lists, the quotas that must be met along with other criteria. Later this summer, the Europa League winners will contest the European Super Cup with Manchester City in Athens and UEFA has added one more requirement to win that title.
UEFA requires that both clubs submit their squad lists for the Super Cup by 8 August at the latest. In other words, just over a week before the final, which will be held at Etadio Georgios Karaiskakis in Piraeus, Greece on Wednesday 16 August. This forces Sevilla, and also Manchester City, to speed up their summer plans if they want to play the game with as many new signings as possible.
Mendilibar tasked with tinkering
What remains the same as in previous years is the obligation to comply with the quotas. Sevilla can register a maximum of 21 players who have not passed through the club’s academy or a maximum of 25 with players who have come through the youth system. In Sevilla’s case, that criteria is only met by Jesús Navas, which means Mendilibar has several options to consider. He could choose to enlist one of the reserve team players he has had under his command - or to one of the players who is coming back from loan as is the case with Juanlu (who spent last season at Mirandés) or Iván Romero (back from Tenerife). Alternatively, he could include a player who came through the ranks on the Carretera de Utrera who is no longer at the club now, but they are thinking of re-signing - as is the case with Luis Alberto, who has a couple of years left to run on his contract with Lazio but long linked with a return to his old club.
Sevilla may well be forced to leave players out of their squad list. Last season, Tecatito was left out of the European squad after suffering a serious injury right at the start of the season. The player underwent surgery in August to mend a fractured shin bone and damaged ankle ligaments which meant that he couldn’t be included in the Champions League list. Óliver Torres was omitted for the group stage of the Champions League, but made the list when Sevilla entered the Europa League, as new signing Pape Gueye, who arrived in the January window was ineligible.