Sevilla and Manchester United will meet in the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final on Thursday evening at Stadium Ramon, with the draw tied at 2-2.
Man United grabbed a two-goal lead in the first leg at Old Trafford thanks to two strikes from Marcel Sabitzer, but unexpected own goals from Tyrell Malacia and Harry Maguire have tied the game.
Last week, Sevilla trailed Manchester United by a large margin in the first 45 minutes at Old Trafford, with Sabitzer’s brace giving the Red Devils a 2-0 lead inside the first 21 minutes, and it looked like the English giants would secure a substantial first-leg advantage.
Jose Luis Mendilibar’s team, on the other hand, had other plans, and they were rewarded for a much superior second-half performance with two late goals, leaving the game precariously balanced heading into the second leg of the last-eight clash in Andalusia.
Los Nervionenses have a special relationship with this tournament, having won it six times, a record, and it would not be surprising to see them go all the way again this season, despite their domestic troubles in 2022-23.
Sevilla will need to win the Europa League in order to compete in the Champions League next season, after finishing 13th in La Liga, 16 points behind fourth-placed Real Sociedad. Mendilibar’s team, on the other hand, has now picked 7 points from their last three league games, along with a 2-0 victory over Valencia at the weekend, and they will now be going to look to advance to the Europa League semi-finals at the expense of Manchester United, which would be a huge scalp in this season’s competition.
Man United should have been out of glimpse against Sevilla had it not been for late own goals from Malacia and Maguire, and it proved to be a harmful night in more ways than one, with Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane both suffering injuries, the former of which has ruled him out for the rest of the season.
The Red Devils will be optimistic of beating Sevilla on Thursday to advance to the last four, but Erik ten Hag’s team is suffering from injuries at the worst possible time of the season.
Man United, on the other hand, has a reputation of fast rebounding from poor defeats, and they were outstanding in the Premier League on Sunday, earning a 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest with two goals from Antony and Diogo Dalot, extending their hold on a top-four slot in the league.
The 20-time English champions are currently third in the table, six points above fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur with a game in hand, and will meet Brighton & Hove Albion in the FA Cup semi-finals on Sunday during a pivotal stretch of the season.
The Red Devils have yet to win against Sevilla, having lost two and drawn two of their previous four games, including a setback in the Europa League semi-finals in August 2020.
Team News- Manchester United
Bruno Fernandes is banned for Manchester United after receiving a yellow card in the first match last week. Donny van de Beek, Alejandro Garnacho, Tom Heaton, Martinez, and Varane are all out due to injury, and Ten Hag’s team has a number of additional fitness problems.
Marcus Rashford, Luke Shaw, Malacia, Scott McTominay, and Sabitzer are all question marks, but the issue will clear up when the team’s squad is announced on Wednesday. Maguire and Victor Lindelof are set to stay in the heart of the defense, while Fred is expected to join Casemiro and Christian Eriksen in the midfield.
Rashford is expected to return to the team, albeit as a substitute, with Jadon Sancho and Antony slated to operate in the final third of the pitch with Anthony Martial.
Team News- Sevilla
Gonzalo Montiel, who received a yellow card in the first leg at Old Trafford last week, will be unavailable for Sevilla. Pape Gueye is also ineligible for the Spanish squad in the Europa League, despite the fact that the home club has no injury concerns following their win against Valencia.
The majority of the starting lineup from the first leg should return, with Ivan Rakitic, Oliver Torres, Tanguy Nianzou, and Yassine Bounou expected to return after being rested from the first whistle against Valencia last time out.
Predictions-
Sevilla 1-2 Manchester United
