Preview: Manchester United vs. Sevilla
Manchester United will be bidding to claim a first-leg advantage when they welcome Sevilla to Old Trafford in the quarter-finals of the Europa League on Thursday night.
The Red Devils have already dispatched two La Liga sides in this season’s tournament, eliminating Barcelona and Real Betis, while Sevilla have overcome PSV Eindhoven and Fenerbahce in the knockout rounds.
This is not the European competition that Man United will want to get used to operating in, with head coach Erik ten Hag having ambitions of taking the club back to the top of the Champions League tree, but the Europa League provides another chance to win some major silverware this season.
The Red Devils ended their six-year trophy drought by lifting the EFL Cup at the end of February, and they are also still active in the FA Cup, preparing to take on Brighton & Hove Albion in the semi-finals of the competition on April 23.
Ten Hag’s side are fourth in the Premier League table, meanwhile, three points clear of fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, and they will enter this match off the back of successive home league victories over Brentford and Everton, keeping clean sheets in both fixtures.
A busy end to the month will see Man United – Europa League winners in 2017 – play another six matches, including both legs of their quarter-final with Sevilla, as the second leg at Estadio Ramon will take place next week.
The Red Devils eliminated Barcelona in the Europa League knockout round playoffs before beating Real Betis 5-1 on aggregate in the round of 16; Sevilla are now standing between the English giants and another major European semi-final, and they have lost their last two games against the La Liga outfit, including in the semi-finals of the Europa League back in 2020.
Delivering three trophies and a top-four finish would represent an excellent first campaign for Ten Hag at the helm, and it will be fascinating to see how the season ends for the Red Devils.
There is no getting away from the fact that it has been a desperately disappointing domestic campaign for Sevilla, with the team currently sitting down in 13th position in the La Liga table.
Los Nervionenses are now five points clear of the relegation zone but sit 19 points behind fourth-placed Real Sociedad, so they will have to win this competition in order to be present in the Champions League during the 2023-24 campaign.
Sevilla have finished fourth in each of their last three La Liga campaigns, but that will not be the case this term, and they have hardly been convincing in the knockout round of the Europa League, losing both of their second legs against PSV Eindhoven and Fenerbahce.
Indeed, the Seville giants progressed 3-2 on aggregate in their knockout round playoff before beating Fenerbahce 2-1 despite losing the second leg in Turkey.
Sevilla have won the Europa League on six occasions, which is a competition record, with their last success coming in 2020, so they must be taken extremely seriously in this tournament despite struggling to impress for much of the campaign.
Jose Luis Mendilibar’s side will enter this match off the back of a 2-2 draw with Celta Vigo in La Liga last Friday, meaning that they will have had a slightly longer recovery time for Thursday’s first leg.
Manchester United Europa League form:
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Manchester United form (all competitions):
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Sevilla Europa League form:
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Sevilla form (all competitions):
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We say: Manchester United 3-1 Sevilla
Sevilla deserve respect due to their immense record in this competition, but it has been a poor campaign for the club, and we are finding it difficult to back them to pick up a positive result in this match. Man United’s superior quality should shine through to allow them to claim a strong first-leg advantage.