Manchester United continue their Europa League journey tonight when they host Sevilla in the quarter-finals.
Sevilla will be the fourth Spanish side that United have encountered in their search for the Europa League trophy, with the Reds having already met Real Socieadad, Barcelona and Real Betis. A recent run of poor results in the Premier League saw United stagnate in the table, but a 2-0 win over Everton in their last outing made it two wins on the bounce ahead of the Europa League clash.
With United still comfortably in the FA Cup and already having a Carabao Cup to their name, Ten Hag will feel that three trophies are a real possibility this season. United have never beaten Sevilla competitively, but the Spanish side are having a tough season, with United entering the tie as favourites.
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So, can United take an advantage into the second leg next week? We simulated the game to get a score prediction. To complete this simulation, we used FIFA 23 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions.
We predict that United could set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: De Gea; Dalot, Varane, Martinez, Malacia; Sabitzer, Casemiro, Fernandes; Antony, Martial, Sancho.
We predict that the visitors could line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: Bounou; Acuna, Bade, Gudelj, Telles; Fernando, Rakatic; Ocampos, Torres, Lamela; En-Nesyri.
United were in control in the opening stages at Old Trafford, but they were lacking that killer instinct at the end of their attacking moves, with Marcus Rashford's presence missing. The pressure continued from United but just before the break Sevilla wheeled ahead against the run of play.
The goal came from the hard work of former Tottenham man Erik Lamela on the left, with the Argentine turning past Diogo Dalot before breaking into the box. After finding Youssef En-Nesyri, the striker cut past Lisandro Martinez and placed his finish past David De Gea to put his side ahead.
A string of shots after the restart from the visitors had United worried, but Ten Hag's side rode the wave, and the momentum passed. Shortly after, United regained control, and they got their equaliser through Bruno Fernandes on the hour mark.
Marcel Sabitzer switched play to Antony on the right, and after cutting inside, the Brazilian smartly flicked a reverse pass into the path of Dalot down the wing. Dalot drilled a cross towards Fernandes on the penalty spot, and the midfielder did well to blast into the net with a first-time strike to draw level.
Wout Weghorst and Christian Eriksen were brought on towards the end of the game to try and add some extra threat in attack, and the two linked up well 10 minutes from the end, but Weghorst could only head Eriksen's cross onto the post from close range. Despite the dominance from United, the game looked to be heading towards a draw, but with two minutes to go, Ten Hag's side grabbed the winner.
Martinez's drilled pass to Fernandes in the middle was flicked forward by the midfielder, and a deflection saw the pass fall to Martial inside the box. The Frenchman did well to push the ball out of his feet and curl the ball into the far corner to make it 2-1.
FIFA 23 final score: United 2-1 Sevilla
Here are the full-time stats:
What do you think the score will be on Sunday? Let us know in the comments!
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