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Manchester United will continue their quest for an unlikely treble this season when they visit the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium on Thursday night for the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final. At half time of the first leg, United were 2-0 up and cruising and it looked as if they already had one foot in the semi-finals.
However, a mistake from Tyrell Malacia at the back post in the 80th minute gave Sevilla a foothold in the game and then a late equaliser, after United went down to ten men due to Lisandro Martinez’s injury, gave them a result that they could only have dreamed of at half time.
It means that the tie is well-poised going into the second leg in Spain and both sides will fancy their chances of going through. The Red Devils go into the game on the back of a commanding 2-0 win away at Nottingham Forest while Sevilla won 2-0 away to Valencia in La Liga.
On paper, Erik Ten Hag’s side should get the job done at the second of time asking, but you can never seem to rule out Sevilla in this competition.
Sevilla Team News: Will Erik Lamela Play?
Sevilla aren’t having the best of seasons by any stretch of the imagination in La Liga and currently sit in 13th place. It means that their only route to European football next season is through winning the Europa League this season. As a result, José Luis Mendilibar made nine changes at the weekend to give his first-choice players a rest ahead of the match with Manchester United.
The likes of Ivan Rakitic and Marcos Acuna are expected to come back into the team as is ex-Spurs man Erik Lamela who is lucky to be available after he appeared to stamp on Casemiro with two feet in the first leg.
No red card was given after this Lamela challenge on Casemiro. pic.twitter.com/gBxtZdXBc0
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) April 13, 2023
Lamela was deployed in a central striker role last week and is expected to do the same again in the second leg. The Argentinian has only found the back of the net four times this season, but a fifth on Thursday would be worth its weight in gold.
The only player that Mendilibar will be without on Thursday night is Gonzalo Montiel. The Argentinian fullback was booked in the first leg which has earned him a one-game suspension in the competition. Former Manchester City man, Jesus Navas, is expected to start in his place at right-back.
Manchester United Team News: Marcus Rashford Returns To Training Ahead of the Second Leg
Manchester United have been suffering an injury crisis of late – one that only got worse during the first leg. Raphael Varane was forced off at half time before Lisandro Martinez was stretchered off towards the end of the match. Neither player is in the squad for the return leg, with Martinez ruled out for the remainder of the campaign.
Other injured players who haven’t made the trip to Seville include Alejandro Garnacho, Scott Mctominay and Donny van de Beek. Arguably the biggest miss for the Red Devils, however, will be Bruno Fernandes who is set to miss the game through suspension after he was booked in the first leg after a long-range effort struck his arm.
"A ridiculous decision." 😡
It's fair to say Paul Scholes and Owen Hargreaves don't agree with the yellow card, which means Bruno Fernandes will be suspended for Man Utd's second leg match in Sevilla.#UEL pic.twitter.com/nIyTvCNnlo
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) April 13, 2023
There is some good news for the away side, however. Christian Eriksen, who had been out for two months with an ankle injury, made his first start since the 28th of January at the weekend and was sensational in midfield. Additionally, Luke Shaw, Marcel Sabitzer, and Tyrell Malacia have all recovered from their injuries to make the squad.
The best news for Erik Ten Hag, though, is that the club’s leading goalscorer this season, Marcus Rashford, has returned to training. The England forward has netted 27 goals already this season and his availability for the game in Seville is a huge boost.
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