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Sevilla at home - A stern test for Manchester United

Their best finish has been the round of 16 and they fell to Leicester last season at the same round.

By Prashanth Kumar Purshotam
Manchester United have their task cut out against Sevilla

Bengaluru, February 21: Sevilla are no pushovers. Liverpool have found that out playing them three times since 2016. They thumped Liverpool in the Europa league final, drew at Anfield with a last gasp goal and famously came back from 0-3 down at half time to draw the game at home.

They are European loyalty or more specifically Europa loyalty, having won the Europa league five times with three of their wins being a hat trick from 2014-2016. The only problem for Sevilla is that they have never been able to translate their Europa league success into the Champions League.

Their best finish has been the round of 16 and they fell to Leicester last season at the same round. However, Manchester United cannot underestimate them.

Here are some of the key factors to look out for from the match:

The Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium

The Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium

This was the scene of the famous come back against Liverpool. The crowd is very noisy at this stadium and if they sense blood they will get behind their players.

Though Mourinho will set his team up defensively, United must be cautious and not let the crowd under their skin.

Wissam Ben Yeder

Wissam Ben Yeder

Most Manchester United fans might be wondering who this is. He is at the heart of Sevilla's attack and along with Ever Benega and Joaquin Correa, he relentlessly presses the opposition.

Ben Yedder has six goals in the Champions League, that is the same as Neymar and more than Messi, Aguero and Mbappe. He is good at scoring goals through the middle.

Wing play

Wing play

Sevilla don't play through the middle. Stats show that they play on the left 41 per cent of the time and 38 on the right, they will attack Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia.

Valencia has just returned to training and Young has been questioned by pundits for his defensive capabilities. A stern test awaits these two.

Pogba’s mystery illness

Pogba’s mystery illness

Things are not great between Pogba and Mourinho. This mystery illness which kept him out of the FA Cup games does indicate that Pogba might not be at his best.

With ex-players questioning his position in the team, Mourinho dropping him for a few matches and rumours about Real Madrid, we wonder which Pogba will turn up on Wednesday.

Alexis Sanchez

Alexis Sanchez

He starting to prove his worth with his assists and we all know he is a big game player. This is a perfect chance for Alexis Sanchez to prove that he isn't just an expensive player who throws tantrums as Arsenal claim.

His link up with Lukaku during the Huddersfield game looks promising for Manchester United.

Lukaku: A flat track bully

Lukaku: A flat track bully

Normally when a striker scores two goals before a Champions League match, you can safely say that his confidence is sky high. The problem is that the opposition was Hudderfield and the striker was Romelu Lukaku.

These goals only enhance his reputation as a flat track bully. He has to score on Wednesday to prove his big match credentials.


Kick off at 1.15 am (Thursday)

Live on Sony Ten 2/ HD

Story first published: Wednesday, February 21, 2018, 13:57 [IST]
Other articles published on Feb 21, 2018