An Amicable Affair
If all goes to plan at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan arena then this will be an amicable match. Sevilla will want to control the ball and the tempo after they won the first leg 1-0. Lazio will try and get something in the first half, but if they don't succeed then I think they are likely to give up hope and redirect their focus to the league. I therefore think the referee will keep his cards in his pockets for most of the match.
Sevilla
Sevilla have been here before. The Europa League is very much their tournament. They have been in the knockout phase countless times and have won the Europa League three times since the turn of the century. The importance of keeping the squad intact and not picking up any unnecessary suspensions is something that a team with this experience will be acutely aware of. In the Europa League, Sevilla are really strong at home and often come away with excellent results. At the Ramon Sanchez, Sevilla will feel it unnecessary to go all out against Lazio after they won their first match 1-0. Instead they will try to control the play and tempo. They'll want Lazio to feel like this tie is already over by dominating possession early on.
Lazio
Lazio slipped up against Genoa in their last Serie A match. They took the lead and looked like they had the match under control. Immobile was then subbed off with the intention of keeping him fresh for their upcoming fixtures. Lazio went on to lose the game 2-1, a big disappointment considering they desperately needed three points to be in contention for the European spots. But it is still tight between fourth spot held by Milan and the seventh spot held by Lazio. There is only four points separating them, so Lazio will aim to close that gap and secure a Champions League spot next season. After this result I can't see Inzaghi wanting to, or even daring to take on the Europa League, especially after they lost the home leg. Of course they will give it a go and field a decent team, but I can't see them going all out.
Betting tip
Anthony Taylor will officiate this match. The Englishman is not especially trigger happy with his cards. He has an average of 3.61 cards per match. And we all know English refs let a little more go in the Europa League. As long as he doesn't get sucked in by a dive he should have a pretty straight forward match on his hands.
The ref has an average of 3.61 cards awarded per match.
Sevilla will dominate possession and Lazio will need to chase the ball. The Italians will try their best but will find it tough. The Spaniards will not want to collect unnecessary suspensions. Lazio might try and go in hard at the beginning but as long as Sevilla don't rise to it, their enthusiasm will quickly peter out.
I will therefore bet on under 5.5 cards at odds of 16/25.
