Europa League: Man United vs Sevilla Preview
Two former UEFA Europa League winners face off in the quarterfinals of the 2022/23 competition as Manchester United take on Sevilla, the English side’s fourth Spanish opponents this season and second in succession from the city of Seville.
United accounted for Sevilla’s local rivals Real Betis in the round of 16, winning 5-1 on aggregate (4-1 h, 1-0 a) with the help of opening goals in each game from the UEFA Europa League’s top scorer this term, Marcus Rashford.
That success followed a memorable knockout play-off victory against Liga giants Barcelona (2-2 a, 2-1 h), though United did finish runners-up in Group E during the autumn on goal difference behind another Spanish side, Real Sociedad, despite registering 15 points – a tally greater than that of five section winners.
Sevilla crossed over to the UEFA Europa League for the second successive season in November having once again finished third in their UEFA Champions League group, their five-point tally not enough to challenge Manchester City or Borussia Dortmund.
The Andalusian side did, however, overcome both PSV Eindhoven (3-0 h, 0-2 a) and Fenerbahçe (2-0 h, 0-1 a) in their first two knockout phase ties to book a record-equalling fifth appearance in the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals. They have since replaced head coach Jorge Sampaoli with José Luis Mendilibar.
Previous Meetings
The clubs have been paired twice before in UEFA competition, the first time in the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League round of 16. After a goalless first leg in southern Spain, Vincenzo Montella’s Sevilla took the tie with a 2-1 win at Old Trafford against José Mourinho’s United, a quickfire double from French striker Wissam Ben Yedder (74, 78) seeing the visitors to victory despite a late reply from Romelu Lukaku (84).
The second occasion was in the 2019/20 UEFA Europa League semi-final, a Sevilla side led by Julen Lopetegui winning a single-leg tie 2-1 in Cologne against Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s United. The English side took the lead through Bruno Fernandes’s ninth-minute penalty, only for Suso to equalise on 26 minutes and Luuk de Jong to complete the comeback with a 78th-minute winner.
United are now unbeaten in five matches against Spanish clubs (W4 D1). However, the second-leg win at Betis was just the 22nd for United in 72 UEFA matches against Spanish opposition (D26 L24), the win at Old Trafford a week earlier only the 13th in 33 games at home – and fifth in the last 16 (D5 L6).
United’s last five European campaigns have all been brought to an end by Spanish clubs, Sevilla starting that run in 2017/18 and Atlético de Madrid extending it in last season’s UEFA Champions League round of 16 (1-1 a, 0-1 h).
The elimination of Barcelona and Betis means United’s overall record in two-legged European ties against Spanish teams is now W10 L10.
Sevilla have already visited Manchester this season, Sampaoli’s side losing 3-1 to Manchester City on Matchday 6 of the UEFA Champions League despite having led at half-time through Rafa Mir (31). That made their all-time record in England W1 D4 L5, the only victory that success at Old Trafford five years ago. They were undefeated in three visits to England before going down 2-0 after extra time to West Ham in the second leg of last season’s UEFA Europa League round of 16.
That result at the London Stadium, which led to their elimination (1-2 agg), also ended the Spanish side’s unbeaten record against English clubs at all venues in the UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League (W6 D2), including final successes against Middlesbrough in 2006 (4-0) and Liverpool in 2018 (3-1).
While Sevilla have won all four single-leg UEFA ties against English opposition on neutral terrain, the most recent that 2019/20 semi-final against United, their record in two-legged ties is W2 L2.
Form Guide
Manchester United
The 2016/17 UEFA Europa League winners finished sixth in the English top flight last season, registering 58 points – their lowest ever Premier League tally – to qualify for the UEFA Europa League group stage. They topped their 2021/22 UEFA Champions League section ahead of Villarreal, Atalanta and Young Boys, but were eliminated in the last 16 by Atlético under interim boss Ralf Rangnick, who was replaced as head coach in the summer by Erik ten Hag.
The Dutchman’s first European encounter as United boss also ended in defeat by Spanish opposition as the Red Devils lost their opening Group E encounter 0-1 at Old Trafford to Real Sociedad. However, they won all of their other five fixtures, doing the double over both Sheriff (2-0 a, 3-0 h) and Omonoia (3-2 a, 1-0 h) before reversing that Matchday 1 scoreline in San Sebastián, when they needed to win by two or more goals to unseat their opponents from top spot.
Still, the victories over Barcelona and Betis have taken United into the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals for the fourth time. They have won all three of their previous ties at this stage of the competition, needing extra time to beat Anderlecht in 2016/17 (1-1 a, 2-1 h) and FC Copenhagen in 2019/20 (1-0) but comfortably disposing of another Spanish side, European debutants Granada, in 2020/21 (2-0 a, 2-0 h).
United’s UEFA Europa League record at Old Trafford is W18 D4 L3, the Matchday 1 defeat by Real Sociedad ending an 18-match unbeaten run at the stadium (W14 D4). In the knockout phase of the competition they lost their first two home fixtures but are unbeaten in the 14 since (W10 D4), winning the last four, three of them against clubs from Spain.
Sevilla
Sevilla finished fourth in the Spanish Liga for the third season in a row in 2021/22. Third in their UEFA Champions League group, they moved across to the UEFA Europa League in mid-season and eliminated Dinamo Zagreb in the knockout play-offs before going out to West Ham in the round of 16.
This season proved another struggle in the UEFA Champions League, with coach Lopetegui failing to survive the group stage and former boss Sampaoli returning to the club as they again finished third, a 3-0 home win against Copenhagen clinching that spot after they had fallen to earlier heavy defeats in Seville against Manchester City (0-4) and Dortmund (1-4). They drew in both Denmark (0-0) and Germany (1-1) before losing that Matchday 6 encounter in Manchester.
Sevilla’s subsequent successes against PSV and Fenerbahçe have earned them a fifth appearance in the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals, equalling Benfica’s competition record. Like United, they have won all of their previous last-eight ties in this competition – against Porto in 2013/14 (0-1 a, 4-1 h), Zenit in 2014/15 (2-1 h, 2-2 a), Athletic Club in 2015/16 (2-1 a, 1-2 h, 5-4 pens) and Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2019/20 (1-0).
Furthermore, they have gone on to lift the trophy in each of those campaigns – the first three with Unai Emery as head coach, the fourth under Lopetegui – as well as winning the UEFA Cup back-to-back in 2005/06 and 2006/07, making them the competition’s most successful club. They have lost just three of their 27 UEFA Europa League knockout phase ties.
Sevilla’s record on the road in the UEFA Europa League knockout phase, including fixtures at neutral venues, is W13 D6 L8, but they have lost the last four, all without scoring. The latest defeat in İstanbul made it 11 European away fixtures without a victory for the Spanish club (D5 L6).
Prediction
Manchester United 2:0 Sevilla