Manchester United vs Sevilla Prediction
Match Result and Total Goals Over/Under - Manchester United and Under (2.5)
Manchester United are missing a couple of key players as they head into the first leg of their quarter-final tie with Sevilla.
Luke Shaw has a hamstring problem, ruling him out for an unspecified period. Marcus Rashford’s groin injury suffered at the weekend has sidelined him for at least this match, and possibly much longer.
The Red Devils, however, are still sports betting favourites against a Sevilla side languishing in the bottom half of La Liga.
Sure, they have improved of late, but their performances throughout the season do little to inspire confidence against Erik ten Hag’s men. United have been exceptional at home this season.
Following the draw, ten Hag was noncommittal when asked about Sevilla.
The Dutch manager said, "Back to Sevilla and as you say a very good record, we have to be aware of it. It is going to be tough, they are very experienced in the Europa League, won it so many times.”
While it would be foolish to gloss over Sevilla’s history in this competition, the team United are facing are far less competitive than previous editions.
Their results have been okay of late, including a draw with Celta at the weekend, but they have lost two of their four matches in the Europa League. The visitors are rightly massive outsiders at 7/1 to win inside 90 minutes on Thursday night.
From a betting perspective, Rashford’s injury is huge. United’s attack is toothless without the England international.
Yes, Jadon Sancho and Antony Martial are more than capable of creating and converting chances, but no other United player has been in Rashford’s stratosphere so far this term.
A home win and under 2.5 goals has real value at 49/20. Look for Sevilla to keep this tight, while United will struggle to break them down.
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Sevilla Club History
Spain’s oldest football-specific club and the most successful team in the history of Europa League outright betting, Sevilla have a significant place in the history of the sport both on a domestic and continental level.
Since being founded in 1890, Sevilla have competed in 77 La Liga campaigns and had 24 entries to UEFA competitions. Despite suffering multiple relegations, Sevilla hasn’t been outside La Liga for longer than three seasons since 1934.
Their most recent season in the Segunda Division (the lowest tier the club has played in) was 2000-01, which was the third of three seasons in a four-year span in the Segunda.
Since returning to the topflight, Sevilla have been a perennial top half team in La Liga. Between 2003-04 and 2021-22, the club was never outside the top seven, and has finished third twice during that period.
Inevitably, Sevilla’s biggest rivalry is with local foes Real Betis. El Gran Derbi is one of the fiercest matchups in Spanish football and a must-watch for neutrals.
Throughout their history, Sevilla have generally been a competitive team in La Liga, often in the top half and a difficult cup opponent, as illustrated by their five Copa del Rey wins.
The 21st century has brought their most successful period, however, with a catalogue of European successes in the UEFA Cup and Europa League.
The club does not have the riches of Barcelona or Real Madrid, but shrewd recruitment has allowed them to compete on the continental stage.
Campanal I, who played for the club from 1929 to 1946, is Sevilla’s all-time leading goal scorer with 218 to his name.
Former Manchester City winger turned full-back Jesus Navas is one of the club’s leading icons, and has made almost 200 more appearances for Los Nervionenses than anyone else.
Sevilla Honours List
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La Liga – 1945-46
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Segunda Division – 1929, 1933-34, 1968-69, 2000-01
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Copa del Rey – 1935, 1939, 1947-48, 2006-07, 2009-10
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Europa League – 2005-06, 2006-07, 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2019-20
Sevilla Competitions This Season
After finishing fourth in the 2021-22 La Liga season, Sevilla featured in the group stage of the 2022-23 Champions League.
Paired with Copenhagen, Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund, Sevilla struggled, and ultimately finished third in the section, meaning they will drop into the Europa League in 2023.
Their Europa League adventure gets underway in February with a tie against PSV Eindhoven.
🏃⚽️🔛 pic.twitter.com/rqhx8RqENV
— Sevilla Fútbol Club (@SevillaFC) January 9, 2023
Despite three consecutive wins to nil to start off their Copa del Rey campaign, the 2022-23 season has been challenging for Sevilla domestically.
They won just two La Liga matches prior to the World Cup hiatus, leaving them in the midst of a tight relegation battle. Their league season wraps up away to Real Sociedad in June.
Sevilla drew the first Seville derby of the campaign in November. They face Real Betis for a second time in what is expected to be a crucial match in May.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*
