The Manchester United supporters who have embarked on a comprehensive tour of Spain in the last 15 months will be used to its rarified atmosphere. The away section in Sevilla's Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium is a steeper incline than the Wanda Metropolitano, Reale Arena, and Benito Villamarín and has a vertiginous view to match Camp Nou for those at the very top.
On the sole occasion it housed United supporters in 2018, they sang 'Will Grigg's on fire' when Freed From Desire cropped up on the playlist in a paean to the striker who had inflicted another FA Cup shock by Wigan Athletic on Manchester City two nights earlier. That had preserved United's immortal Treble in a season City won two honours and their first title under Pep Guardiola.
It is a quirk of this season there has been more chatter about a United treble than City securing the treble. City are favourites to triumph in each of the three competitions they are in and the other half of the Champions League semi-finals, with the two Milan clubs, has been weakened by Napoli's ejection.
Also read: Ten Hag feels United have learnt a lesson from first leg
For the third round running, United's European campaign is at risk of ending against Spanish opposition for the sixth successive season. Sevilla started that sequence five years ago and surfaced again in eerie Cologne in 2020. Barcelona, Villarreal and Atletico Madrid also ensured trophyless campaigns.
Tonight is United's 13th fixture against Spanish opposition in the last two years. Sevilla marked low points in the reigns of Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, their victory at Old Trafford in the Champions League prompting Mourinho's immortal 'football heritage' history lesson two days later.
Sevilla's pedigree in the Europa League endures and they have the hex on United, winless in four against the Andalusians. But for two ricochets at the Scoreboard End last week, United would have at least registered a maiden victory against the six-time winners of the Uefa Cup.
Had United prevailed 2-0 in the quarter-final first leg they would have still left the pitch disappointed. Sevilla were let off the hook, as Nottingham Forest and Everton were, comparatively. United had enough chances to win a monthful of games against Everton and they were relentless in the second half at the City Ground. Both ended with modest 2-0 scorelines.
United have not put a team to the sword all season. Against Sevilla seven days ago, they shot themselves in the foot. Erik ten Hag disagreed with repeated suggestions he had misjudged his substitutions, opting for the 'cow-in-the-ass' analogy as if it was a worthy description for some of the interrogators in the press rooms at Old Trafford and then Carrington 12 hours later.
However officious the referee was, Ten Hag knowingly weakened United in hooking Bruno Fernandes and Antony whilst introducing Anthony Elanga and Wout Weghorst. Sevilla are a poor side, still 13th in La Liga, but are not to be underestimated in a competition they practically monopolised.
Ten Hag is hardly thin-skinned and his response to the miscalculations at Newcastle has been impressive. United have performed commandingly in their last four matches and however disconcerting it is to have an injured XI, there is the return of Christian Eriksen.
In Eriksen, Ten Hag has a warm comfort blanket to pull on. Eriksen was always going to start in Seville and his preparation in Nottingham could hardly have been more encouraging.
Eriksen had been switching passes with the teenagers Zidane Iqbal and Marc Jurado during the warm-up before he was advised to prepare more rigorously with 15 minutes until kick-off. From tutoring teenagers to outclassing opponents.
It came as no surprise United elected Eriksen to flank Ten Hag at his pre-match press conference on Wednesday evening. "His ability, reading the game, finding the positions, coaching, also composure on the ball, final pass. Definitely, he's very important for us. Experience in Europe, in the Premier League, playing big games, that is definitely tomorrow."
"I was dreaming about being where I am today but back then it was just a dream being back playing football," Eriksen admitted, "taking it step by step and to be the best version of a football player I can be.
"And I was lucky at the time the manager wanted me to come here. I'm enjoying it, I did a year ago, even more now. Here now already with a trophy aim for two more and it will be fun."
An axis of Casemiro and Eriksen, the two 31-year-olds born nine days apart, is vital for this quarter-final. Eriksen, born on Valentine's Day, is as fresh as a bunch of roses and Casemiro lays down the groundwork for his teammate to bloom. United have only lost once with the pair on the pitch.
"I didn’t even know we had that many games without losing," Eriksen admitted, "but that's something in the future that we want to keep going."
Eriksen and Casemiro's sole defeat was at Villa Park on Unai Emery's debut in the home dugout. Emery presided over Sevilla's Europa League triple crown.
United still have to overcome Sevilla on their ascent towards the very top.
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