Here au.fourfourtwo.com looks at the key battles.

FREDI KANOUTE V DANIEL JARQUE

Kanoute has been in sensational form all season and the move to Spain from Tottenham has revitalised his career. The Frenchman, rangy but with a fine touch, is one of the leading scorers in the Primera Liga and has been the key marksman in Sevilla's challenge for three trophies.

Jarque, however, is a robust centre-back who will give Kanoute the sort of rough ride he will have to outwit, if not out-muscle, if he is to influence the game. The 24-year-old has risen through the Espanyol ranks to become a lynchpin of their defence, with his marshalling of an impressively strong back line crucial in their run to the final.

DANIEL ALVES V ALBERT RIERA

For the second season running, Alves has been in sensational form down the right for Sevilla. Brilliant in last season's 4-0 UEFA Cup final win over Middlesbrough, Sevilla did not buckle under pressure to sell Alves to Liverpool last summer. It was the right decision. He has pace and skill in abundance, all the tricks one expects from a Brazil international, plus excellent delivery from full-back.

Riera will be given the tough task of stopping him from getting forward - by getting forward himself. Curbing Alves' attacking instincts will be crucial in starving Sevilla's strikers of service and Riera will be expecting to push his opponent back. Riera was ineffective for Manchester City last season, but is far happier back in Spain. He has four goals and three assists to his name in the UEFA Cup so far.

JAVI NAVARRO V WALTER PANDIANI

This season's UEFA Cup has been made for Pandiani to live up to his nickname - The Rifle. He has been rifling in the goals. Eleven so far puts him well clear at the top of the competition's scoring chart and it would be a surprise if his hot streak does not continue. If those stats are not enough, a superb hat-trick against Real Madrid at the weekend marks the bustling former Birmingham striker out as Espanyol's clear and present dangerman.

The seasoned Navarro will look to match Pandiani stride for stride and elbow for elbow. At 33, the club captain has the experience and the cunning to deny Pandiani the space in which to thrive. His style is uncompromising and he is the rock on which Sevilla's defence is built. In probably his last final on the European stage, expect nothing less than a resolute display.

CHRISTIAN POULSEN V IVAN DE LA PENA

Espanyol's gifted midfielder De la Pena will be hoping that Christian Poulsen's standards slip for the night. The Dane has been in top form all season, anchoring the Sevilla midfield with aplomb. Snapping into tackles and breaking up play, Poulsen is the sort of player made for thwarting an opponent. However, De la Pena, fit after overcoming a calf injury, has been at somewhere near his tantalising best throughout 2006-07.

De la Pena's much-coveted playmaking abilities have been behind Espanyol's run to the UEFA Cup final and he can expect close attention from Poulsen. With a career long on style but short on substance, De la Pena will want to leave his mark on the final and leave Scotland with a winner's medal to shake off the tag of underachiever.