RAKITIC: "THE PAST DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING, WE ARE HERE BECAUSE WE DESERVE TO BE"

Ivan Rakitic accompanied Jesús Navas and José Luis Mendilibar in the official press conference ahead of the final of the UEFA Europa League. The Croat, who already knows what it feels like to win this trophy having done so in Turin, sent a message to his teammates: "I hope they enjoy these final hours, that they don't change their normal routine. It's a unique occasion and is so big emotionally. Those of us who carry Sevilla in our hearts know what this means to the club, and there is nothing more beautiful than bringing the cup back for our people."

On what the coach plans for tomorrow, Rakitic noted that "he has been very clear from his first day what he expects of us. We have to be ourselves and try to play the perfect match. We can't think about anything else, going after our opponent which is always our way of playing. Every moment can be punished and we have to train well today, and think positively. The nerves come naturally and we want to play our brand of football, trying to do what we would do any other day. A brilliant team awaits us, but we are focused on ourselves."

Finally, he spoke of what it means to have won the title so many times before: "It doesn't mean anything. In the end, we are here because we deserve it and we did things right in the knockout rounds. Nobody gives you anything for free and we were better in those two-legged ties. When we say that nobody wants it like we do, it's not because someone at the club thought so, but because we think so. Nobody is going to take away our hunger and tomorrow we are playing without thinking about what has happened in previous years."