Fiorentina v Sevilla background

ACF Fiorentina have it all to do if they are to make it to the UEFA Europa League final, but there is some hope as they prepare to take on holders Sevilla FC, who are 3-0 up from the first leg.

Previous meetings
• The sides met for the first time in UEFA competition in the first leg.

• Fiorentina's record against Spanish clubs is: W2 D4 L7 (W2 D1 L1 at home). Prior to the first leg, they were unbeaten in 12 European away games (W8 D4).

• Sevilla's record against Italian clubs is W1 D1 L3 (W0 D0 L2 in Italy). Prior to the first leg, Renato's 14th-minute strike in their 3-1 loss to AC Milan in the 2007 UEFA Super Cup in Monaco was their only goal in four fixtures against Serie A sides.

Form guide
• Only one team has ever retrieved a three-goal deficit in a UEFA Europa League knockout phase tie: Valencia CF recovered from a 3-0 first-leg defeat to beat FC Basel 1893 5-0 after extra time at home in the 2013/14 quarter-finals.

• Fiorentina's home record in this season's UEFA Europa League is W3 D2 L1. Sevilla are unbeaten away from home in this season's knockout stage: W2 D1.

• Fiorentina have never retrieved a 3-0 first leg defeat in a UEFA competition tie, but have won the return legs of all three of their knockout ties this season – including a 3-0 away success at AS Roma.

• Sevilla almost let a 2-0 lead slip in last season's semi-final; they trailed 3-0 at Valencia CF until Stéphane Mbia's late strike gave them an away-goals success.

• Sevilla have never been eliminated in a European semi-final, winning all three of their previous last-four encounters.

• Fiorentina have won four of their six European semi-finals, but lost the most recent one on penalties following 210 goalless minutes against Rangers FC in the 2007/08 UEFA Cup.

Trivia and links
• Fiorentina midfielder Matías Fernández turns 29 the day after the decider against Sevilla.

• Sevilla's Stéphane Mbia will make his 50th UEFA club competition appearance if he takes the field against Fiorentina.

• Sevilla's Daniel Carriço has made more UEFA Europa League appearances (group stage to final) than any other player in the competition's history: 46.

• This year's UEFA Europa League final is in Warsaw, and Sevilla's Grzegorz Krychowiak is the only Polish player who still has a chance of playing in the decider in his home country.

• Fiorentina's Gonzalo Rodríguez and Matías Fernández played alongside Sevilla's Mariano Barbosa at Villarreal CF.

• Sevilla's Fernando Navarro and Fiorentina's Borja Valero were team-mates at RCD Mallorca.

• Fiorentina's Joaquín started his career with Sevilla's neighbours Real Betis Balompié and played under current Sevilla coach Unai Emery at Valencia CF (2008–11), where Sevilla's Éver Banega was one of his team-mates.

• Other Fiorentina players have Liga experience too: Giuseppe Rossi (Villarreal CF 2007–13), Marcos Alonso (Real Madrid CF 2010) and Khouma Babacar (Real Racing Club 2012).

• Sevilla are hoping to become the first side to win the UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League for a fourth time. Three other sides can match their current tally of three victories: FC Internazionale Milano, Juventus and Liverpool FC.

• Italian sides have won the UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League nine times, more than any other nation, though there have been no wins since Parma FC took the trophy in 1998/99. However, Spain is catching up fast, with eight victories to date – six in the last 11 years.

• Winners of the inaugural European Cup Winners' Cup in 1961, Fiorentina were losers in the 1956/57 European Cup and 1989/90 UEFA Cup finals.

• With 40 goals to date, Fiorentina's Mario Gomez is the fourth highest-scoring German player in UEFA club competition. Gerd Müller (62), Jupp Heynckes (45) and Ulf Kirsten (43) are above him.

• Zenit's elimination in the quarter-finals means that – for the first time since the advent of the UEFA Cup group stage in 2004/05 – none of the sides that transferred over from the UEFA Champions League at the end of the group stage have made it to the semi-finals.

The coaches
• Fiorentina boss since June 2012, Vincenzo Montella was known as 'L'Aeroplanino' (the Little Aeroplane) because of his modest stature and trademark goal celebrations during his time as a striker. An Italian international, he won the 2000/01 Serie A title with Roma, and has coached Roma and Calcio Catania since hanging up his boots.

• Sevilla boss since January 2013, one-time midfielder Unai Emery switched from playing to coaching at Lorca Deportiva CF. Having led UD Almería to the top tier, he coached Valencia CF from 2008 to 2012, with his side regular European contenders during that spell.

Penalty shoot-outs 
• Fiorentina's record in five UEFA competition penalty shoot-outs is W3 L2 (W2 L1 at home):
1-3 v Boavista FC (A), 1986/87 UEFA Cup first round
3-1 v Club Atlético de Madrid (H), 1989/90 UEFA Cup first round
4-3 v FC Groningen (H), 2007/08 UEFA Cup first round
4-2 v Everton FC (A), 2007/08 UEFA Cup round of 16
2-4 v Rangers FC (H), 2007/08 UEFA Cup semi-finals

• Sevilla's record in five UEFA competition penalty shoot-outs is W4 L1 (W2 L0 away):
4-3 v PAOK FC (A), 1990/91 UEFA Cup first round
3-1 v RCD Espanyol (N), 2006/07 UEFA Cup final
2-3 v Fenerbahçe SK (H), 2007/08 UEFA Champions League round of 16
4-3 v Real Betis Balompié (A), 2013/14 UEFA Europa League round of 16
4-2 v SL Benfica (N), 2013/14 UEFA Europa League final