Manchester United continue their European adventure on Sunday when they face Sevilla FC in the semi-final of the Europa League.
The Red Devils certainly look like the side of old under former player Ole Gunnar Solskjær and will be considered one of the favourites to lift the trophy as they have been in incredible form since football resumed.
Indeed, having been able to qualify for the Champions League via the Premier League route, United will want to cap off an excellent season by lifting the trophy aloft their heads, although their Spanish opponents are certainly not a side that can be overlooked.
That could, therefore, mean making a prediction on the outcome of the Last Four tie a little difficult, although using a site like onlinecasinosnoop.com could help bettors find the best odds to place a wager if they fancy a punt.
Sevilla are one of the most successful sides to have ever competed in the Europa League over the years and have had moments where they became synonymous with winning the competition.
Whenever the La Liga outfit have reached the quarter-finals of the tournament, they have gone on to become winners and have also had experience of knocking out Manchester United in European competition; having done so a couple of years ago.
Jose Mourinho made the wrong tactics in the last 16 stage and the result was terrible. After a goalless draw in Spain, the Manchester United manager tried to eliminate the influence of Sevilla’s key organizer, Éver Banega, in the second round. He left Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial on the bench, choosing Nemanja Matic, Marouane Fellaini and Jesse Lingard to play in midfield. His cautious attitude didn’t work, though, as Sevilla won 2-1 at Old Trafford with Banega creating up to 17 chances across both legs.
Keeping the Argentine quiet will once again be the key, but Manchester United’s best defence recently is their offence, especially during the transition period. The speed of their top three will hurt anyone. Sevilla are a team focused on possession. In the quarter-final against Wolverhampton Wanderers, they had 75% of the ball, and have averaged a ball possession of 66.3% this season in the Europa League; the highest among all clubs. Banega is clearly crucial to their way of playing. On Tuesday night against the Premier League outfit, the number of passes he completed (103) was more than twice that of the three Wolves midfielders combined (40).
Sevilla were very good against Wolves and Manchester United will need to be at their very best – something they were not necessarily against FC Kobenhavn. However, they do have men like Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes, Anthony Martial, Paul Pogba and Mason Greenwood all available who have been nothing short of outstanding since the resumption of football across the world.
Both sides won 1-0 in the quarter-finals, which is likely to be the outcome once again in this semi-final tie. Manchester United played a total of 11 games this season and kept eight clean sheets, while Sevilla kept seven in ten games. Sevilla are incredibly tight at the back as they conceded only one goal in the last eight games of all competitions and have remained unbeaten since early February. Their know-how in this game may once again become the key.
