The second legs of the UEFA Europa League are set to be played this Thursday night and we have an 8pm BST kick-off for Sevilla vs Manchester United from the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium. The tie is finely balanced after a 2-2 draw in the first leg that saw the Spanish side come back from 2-0 down to snatch a draw at Old Trafford. Who will progress in this one?
Red Devils Facing Injury Issues
It was all looking so good for Manchester United with the team 2-0 up with just 7 minutes to play in the first leg thanks to a brace from Marcel Sabitzer. However, a double injury blow in the form of Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez going off combined with an own goal apiece from Tyrell Malacia and Harry Maguire saw victory slip through their fingers.
Head coach Erik ten Hag will be hoping his defensive unit can build on the solid display that saw them earn a comfortable 2-0 win away to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on the weekend. That win came despite Maguire looking a little fortunate to stay on the pitch. He’s priced at 40/1 with Bet365 to get sent off in this match.
There is also the added boost that top scorer Marcus Rashford could be in line to return to action. The England striker has scored 28 goals in all competitions this season including 6 goals in 8 Europa League appearances. He is valued at 4/1 with Unibet to score first but there is doubt over whether he’ll start, so opting for 8/5 with William Hill to score anytime might be a better choice. There is also Antony available at 15/4 to score anytime with BetVictor. The Brazilian looked to be hitting his best form in his last outing.
Mendilibar’s Men Muster Momentum
There is no denying that Sevilla will be brimming with confidence coming into this game. Los Nervionenses will be buzzing with the fact they came back from 2-0 down to rescue this tie away from home in the first leg. Head coach Jose Luis Mendilibar then saw his team extend their unbeaten run in La Liga after a convincing 2-0 win away to Valencia to ease their relegation concerns.
It is now 4 matches in a row across all competitions where Sevilla have scored 2 goals. There have been 7 different scorers of these 8 goals, so it’s tough to call who will likely score their next goal. Moroccan talent Youssef En-Nesyri has scored twice in that period though and he’s available at 23/10 with Betfair to score at any time during this game.
Another clear stark statistic is the number of yellow cards that Sevilla pick up under Mendilibar. The team have been shown 19 yellow cards and 2 red cards during their last 4 competitive matches. That makes the likes of Diego Hormigo (4/5), Teixeira Marcao (21/20), Marcos Acuna (21/20), and Nemanja Gudelj (7/5) to be shown a card in this match great value. All of those odds are with Bet365. Acuna is also listed at 25/1 with SpreadEx to be sent off having already seen red against Celta Vigo just 2 weeks ago.
Head-to-Head Meetings
The first leg of this tie might well have felt like Sevilla did a robbery job on Manchester United but the fact remains that the English side have now gone 4 encounters with the Spanish club without a win. It’s now 2 wins for Sevilla and 2 draws during the team’s previous meetings.
It is true that United have been decent on their travels under ten Hag. The team have already picked up 2 wins and 1 draw from their three trips to La Liga clubs during this competition. A 1-0 win versus Real Sociedad, a 2-2 draw against Barcelona, and a 1-0 victory over Real Betis in the previous rounds is proof that United will not be phased here.
Sevilla vs Manchester United Betting Tips
There is a lot to consider for this game. Sevilla did very well, and were perhaps very lucky, to get back into this tie. At 2-0, it looked like a very business-like performance from United that you could’ve seen them seeing out in this second leg. 2-2 is a lot more unpredictable. Sevilla to win at 3/1 with BetUK is very tempting with them being the home team and boasting an unbeaten record against United.
However, I do feel that United under ten Hag know how to get the job done when it matters in a cup competition. There is no way ten Hag could account for what happened last Thursday and he’ll be keen to make sure it doesn’t come back to bite them. I can see United getting the win at Evens with Betfred and it would be very appropriate if it was a returning Rashford who did the damage.
Manchester United to Win @ Evens with Betfred
Anytime Scorer: Marcus Rashford @ 8/5 with William Hill
All odds are accurate at the time of writing.
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