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Oh, what could have been. It's an all-Portuguese Europa League final today from Dublin, Ireland. Villarreal bowed out at the semifinal stage to FC Porto, while SC Braga took out all comers at its Pritzker Prize-winning stadium.
Porto is the odds-on favorite, thanks to its attacking trident of Falcao, Guarín, and Hulk. Enough said. But there's a reason that Braga defeated Arsenal, Benfica, and Liverpool to get this far. Braga manager Domingos Paciencia is on his way to Sporting Clube, so a victory would be a dream send-off.
Lineups:
FC Porto: Helton; Alvaro Pereira, Otamendi, Rolando, Sapunaru; Varela, João Moutinho, Fernando, Guarín, Hulk; Falcao.
SC Braga: Artur; Miguel Garcia, Paulão, Alberto Rodríguez, Sílvio; Custódio, Hugo Viana, Vandinho; Alan, Lima, Paulo César.
Prediction: 2-1 to Porto in extra time. It won't come easy, I expect.
The match re-airs tonight at 8 pm ET on GolTV (in the U.S.). You can watch live on DirecTV. I'll be back with comments late tonight. May the best side win.