UEFA defends Basel venue for Europa League final

UEFA has defended its decision to stage this year's Europa League final at Basel's St Jakob-Park, which has a capacity of 35,000.

Liverpool and Sevilla came through last night's semi-finals and will contest the final on May 18 in Switzerland.

Fans from both sides have only been allocated around 10,000 tickets each for the showpiece, but UEFA does not feel that the competition's second-smallest venue for a final is the wrong choice.

"Of course, it is impossible to predict in advance which clubs will reach the final," UEFA said on its website.

"Europe's largest stadiums are usually selected to host the Champions League final, and UEFA tends to select slightly smaller, top-quality venues for the Europa League final.

"This means UEFA can give more of its national associations an opportunity to host a club final, and gives fans across Europe the chance to experience a major final in their home nation."

Jurgen Klopp has urged Liverpool fans to travel to Switzerland even if they do not have a ticket, but Basel are against the city being flooded with football fans.