1 year ago
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The teams are out! Sevilla sport white with red trim. Manchester United wear their first-choice gear as well … nearly, in so much as the red shirts are paired with black shorts tonight. The Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán is providing quite the atmosphere, the sort you’d expect on a balmy European night towards the business end of the season. We’ll be off in a few minutes, but in the meantime here’s a dispatch from the stadium courtesy of Niall O’Keeffe. “Took my seat early . Could not get an away end ticket so staying quiet amongst the Sevilla fans. Relatively. It’s 25 degrees centigrade which has to help the home team. United to win hopefully and Martial to put in an epic performance at the home stadium of the club to which he was sent on loan.”
Ten Hag also references the smattering of bottles that caromed off the roof of the United coach as it pulled up to the Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán this evening. “I like it! I get even more hungry and motivated. You know something is going on. A fight. It is what you want as a team and a player.”
Erik ten Hag speaks to BT Sport. “If it is 90 minutes or 120 minutes we have to get there … we have to play our best football … nobody has the right to play, you have to deserve it and now they have the opportunity to earn it … everyone is in a rhythm … some players drop out and some take over and it is a great opportunity for them ... we have to adapt the team because of injuries and suspension … we have to bring down a tough opponent tonight … they are more like an English team than a Spanish team … I am calm and composed with everyone I bring because we have a strong squad … there are six weeks to go, give everything all you have, then you can collect trophies … it’s all you want to be in this part of the season, in this position … it is all about silverware … now we have to get it done.”
Sevilla make three changes to the starting XI sent out last week at Old Trafford. Jesus Navas, Loic Bade and Youssef En-Nesyri come in for Oliver Torres and Tanguy Nianzou, who drop to the bench, and the suspended Gonzalo Montiel.
Manchester United make four changes to their line-up from the first leg. Three of them are enforced, with Bruno Fernandes suspended, and Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez injured; they’re replaced by Christian Eriksen, Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof. Meanwhile at left back Diogo Dalot replaces Tyrell Malacia, who drops to the bench, and Marcus Rashford returns from injury but doesn’t start.
The teams
Sevilla: Bono, Navas, Bade, Marcao, Acuna, Gudelj, Fernando, Ocampos, Rakitic, Lamela, En-Nesyri.
Subs: Dmitrovic, Flores, Telles, Rekik, Suso, Mir, Nianzou, Torres, Gomez, Gil.
Manchester United: De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Maguire, Lindelof, Dalot, Eriksen, Casemiro, Sabitzer, Antony, Martial, Sancho.
Subs: Butland, Vitek, Rashford, Malacia, Fred, Shaw, Weghorst, Pellistri, Elanga, Iqbal.
Referee: Artur Dias (Portugal)
Preamble
There are ways to throw away two-goal leads, and there are ways to throw away two-goal leads … and Manchester United’s effort against Sevilla last week was a doozy.
Better to remember Marcel Sabitzer’s goalscoring feats than the later antics of Tyrell Malacia and Harry Maguire. The Austrian found the net twice early doors, as United threatened to take the tie away from Sevilla in short order. But the Spaniards are past masters in this tournament, having won it a record six times, and dug in before forcing a shift in momentum. And now look: everything balanced almost perfectly for a rip-roaring second leg. A semi-final against Juventus or Sporting CP awaits the winner. Kick off is at 9pm in Seville, 8pm BST. It’s on!
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