After defeating Real Sociedad, Barcelona, and Real Betis in the Europa League this year, Manchester United has now defeated three Spanish teams. Now that the Red Devils are in the quarterfinals of the competition, Sevilla stands in their way. Normally, such a match would scare the Red Devils, but their nightmare run suggests that Erik ten Hag's team may find the match to be more straightforward than one might anticipate.
No side has had greater success in the Europa League than Sevilla, which has won the tournament six times. And their recent success has given the trophy, which was often derided as a Champions League impostor, a certain amount of prestige.
After seen the Andalusian team win the trophy three times in a row between 2014 and 2016, coaches no longer view it as an annoyance but rather a practical back door to Champions League qualification. They defeated United, then led by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, in the 2019–20 semi-finals and were feared as the Europa League monarchs, defeating Liverpool in the 2015–16 final.
Inter Milan under Antonio Conte had a severe lesson the following year after losing the championship game 3-2 to Sevilla. However, after a disastrous La Liga campaign in Spain, optimism is nowhere near as high as it once was as United prepares for a reunion at Old Trafford on Thursday.
Only the previous season, Sevilla supporters were imagining an unexpected title victory after going head-to-head with Barcelona and Real Madrid. The title was ultimately won by Carlo Ancelotti's team, and Sevilla was guaranteed a spot in the Champions League. Under Julen Lopetegui, they had accomplished the feat three times in a row.
But the Spanish team, who made their living by offloading their big-name stars, chewed off more than they could chew, and Lopetegui was fired with the team in last place just a few months into the season. Faced with a possible relegation fight, club president Fernando Reges believed the team will bounce back from their bad season's start and downplayed the significance of losing their beloved coach.
“There is a Sevilla before and another one post-Lopetegui," he said. "Before Lopetegui, Sevilla were fighting to get into Europe. Now, the fans want Champions League and to win La Liga.”
However, the Sevilla Reges was referring about was rapidly wiped out in the summer. In contrast to Diego Carlos joining Aston Villa and Jules Kounde joining Barcelona, attacking duo Lucas Ocampos and Luuk de Jong left for Ajax and PSV Eindhoven, respectively. The replacements for the four players who were instrumental in their Europa League victory lacked inspiration.
Ivan Rakitic and Isco, two seasoned La Liga stars, appeared to lose their enchantment as the opportunities dried up, while Rafa Mir was unable to score as many goals as he had in the previous campaign. Due to their difficulties, Sevilla was forced to finish in the bottom three, and Lopetegui immediately obtained a new position at Wolves.
To take over for the outgoing Spain manager, Jorge Sampaoli was hired, but his second stint at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan was just as catastrophic as the first, if not worse. The final straw was a 6-1 beating at the hands of Atletico Madrid in early March. He only managed to win 13 of his 31 games in command.
The 63-year-old was fired after only six months in charge, and Jose Luis Mendilibar was appointed to keep them out of the drop zone. Signs of improvement include a feisty draw with Celta Vigo despite having 10 men on the field and a 2-0 victory against Cadiz.
Even with the former United players Alex Telles and Adnan Januzaj, this Sevilla team is still are barely five points above the drop zone and are far from their giant-killing best. Mendilibar will use the fact that United has failed to defeat Sevilla in the three meetings between the two teams to give his team an advantage.
However, with Ten Hag's team far better this year and Sevilla a shell of their former selves, it gives the best chance for the Dutchman to put an end to their losing streak and defeat their Spanish opponents as they advance towards yet another potential trophy.
Meanwhile, Manchester United players will be looking to play for everything as they are yet to record a victory against Sevilla, and they haven't completely forgotten about how the Seville-based club ousted them from the Europa League semifinals three years ago. But it'll be Manchester United's David De Gea who will be aiming to get one over Sevilla when they welcome them to Old Trafford on Thursday night.
One of the two teams David de Gea has never defeated in his career, Sevilla, is the opponent he is getting ready to play.
David de Gea has a score to pay with Sevilla over the course of his career, which has spanned 567 club games for Atletico Madrid and Manchester United.
Sevilla is one of just two teams he has never triumphed over, the other being Real Madrid. He has a one-drawn, seven-loss record versus Real. His chances against Sevilla are marginally higher, and more crucially, he has a shot at making amends.
In seven games, David de Gea has failed to win against Sevilla. These consist of two ties and five losses.
Sevilla 3-1 Atletico Madrid, 2010
Atletico Madrid 0-2 Sevilla, 2010, Copa del Rey final
Atletico Madrid 2-2 Sevilla, 2010
Sevilla 3-1 Atletico Madrid, 2011
Sevilla 0-0 Manchester United, 2018
Manchester United 1-2 Sevilla, 2018
Manchester United 1-2 Sevilla, 2020, Europa League semi-final
Sevilla has a long history with David de Gea, having denied him title glory with Atletico in his debut season as a player.
The second leg of Manchester United's Europa League quarterfinal match against Sevilla will take place one week from this week at Old Trafford.
Sevilla is having a terrible domestic season and is now sitting in 13th place in La Liga, making United the favorites. But David de Gea is the best person to understand that Manchester United cannot take anything for granted.
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