Liverpool fans unhappy about Europa League final tickets and stadium

Liverpool have been allotted a mere 10,236 tickets to distribute to their fans, with Sevilla almost certainly receiving a similar number. That’s less than a third of the already-small 35,000 seat capacity of St. Jakob Park, and a number that is frustrating fans who want to attend the culmination of what’s been a magical ride for the club.

“It is crystal clear that this amount of tickets will not be enough to satisfy demand,” wrote one major Liverpool supporters’ group in a statement. “[There are] tens of thousands of supporters who have attended every home game this season and a large number will miss out.”

There are over 27,000 registered season ticket holders at Anfield Road, and Liverpool took nearly 32,000 fans to Wembley for the Capital One Cup final earlier this season. Both numbers are far, far larger than the allotment allowed by UEFA, but unfortunately an outcome like this was always likely once a smaller stadium like St. Jakob Park was selected for the final.

Add that on top of travel woes -- there is apparently no late-night mass transportation in the area for after the match, and the area’s hotels were all but booked up well before the semi-final ties were played -- and it sounds like this Europa League final could wind up being a real mess.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp had nothing but praise for Daniel Sturridge after their Europa League triumph. (Guardian)

Villarreal manager Marcelino isn’t happy about Liverpool’s approach to their semifinal match. (MARCA)

Louis Van Gaal won’t be broke if Manchester United sack him -- he’ll be picking up £5 million ($7.2 million U.S.) if they decide to move on to a new manager. (ESPN FC)

Arsenal winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will miss Euro 2016 for England with a knee injury. (BBC)

As will Italy and Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti, whose groin injury recovery is taking much longer than expected. (Football Italia)

From the transfer rumor files: apparently Zlatan Ibrahimovic is open to the idea of returning to AC Milan this summer. (ESPN FC)

Jamie Jackson thinks that Pep Guardiola has his work cut out for him at Manchester City. (Guardian)

Africa has borne witness to some incredible comebacks by the continent’s football teams. (Unusual Efforts)

Jon Townsend looks back at the life and career of legendary Liverpool manager Bob Paisley. (These Football Times)

Liverpool dominated Villarreal 3-0 to advance to the Europa League final. (Liverpool Offside)

Sevilla were only slightly more challenged by Shakhtar Donetsk in their 3-1 win and will try to win their third straight Europa League title. (ESPN FC)

MLS: Orlando City vs. New York Red Bulls (7 p.m.): A win for Orlando could see them rise as high as second in the East, but a win for NYRB and a couple of favorable results elsewhere would see them not only pull further clear of the bottom of the table, but potentially as high as third in the conference.

Liga MX: Santos Laguna vs. Chivas de Guadalajara (10:30 p.m.): In their last match of the Clausura season, both teams try to improve their standings before the Liguilla begins.

With the end of the European season fast approaching, there are also several key matches to track this weekend:

Bundesliga: Ingolstadt vs. Bayern Munich (Sat., 9:30 a.m.): A win, and the Bundesliga crown can again belong to Bayern. If they drop points again, though, this race could get really interesting in a hurry.

EPL: Leicester vs. Everton (Sat., 12:30 p.m.): The title is won, but this will be worth watching just for the pre- and post-match celebrations for Leicester and their fans.

La Liga: Real Madrid vs. Valencia / Barcelona vs. Espanyol / Levante vs. Atletico Madrid (Sun., 11 a.m.): One point separates the three teams fighting for the La Liga title, and with only three matches to go, if any of Real, Barcelona, or Atleti drop points this weekend, it could prove disastrous to their dreams.

Serie A: Torino vs. Napoli (Sun., 2:45 p.m.): Napoli can’t afford to drop any points if their hope for finishing second and snagging Italy’s last guaranteed Champions League place will be a reality -- but they’ve lost three straight on the road, so their fans will be very nervous this weekend.