Will the first leg on the island already be a preliminary decision?
After Premier League leaders Arsenal pulled out of the 2023 Europa League at the round of 16, another English team is now in the driver’s seat for the title in Europe’s second most important club competition. Should the Red Devils win on the 31st
But coach Erik ten Hag’s side must first eliminate the record winners of this competition in the quarter-finals on their way to the final. Given the impressions of the season so far and the home advantage on Thursday evening at the Theatre of Dreams, a prediction of a fairly commanding success for the home side is absolutely obvious ahead of the first leg between Manchester United and Sevilla.
United’s goal will and must be to build up a small cushion at best. The fact is that the visitors from Andalusia are much weaker away from home than they are at home.
If Marcus Rashford and Co. can build on their performances in the knockout games against FC Barcelona or Betis Sevilla, there is little doubt in our minds that betting on MNU will not pay off in the third English-Spanish clash between Manchester United and Sevilla.
Manchester United – Statistics & current form
When it comes to English teams, there is always the question of how much they embrace international competition, unless it goes by the name of the Champions League. Manchester United, too, had to consider in advance whether their priority in the current season was not rather the domestic Premier League and the national cups.
But because things have gone really well at national level for long stretches of the season so far and coach Erik ten Hag’s team, currently fourth in the standings, has good prospects of securing the CL ticket for the coming season, the Europa League adventure was also taken very seriously right from the start. This, in turn, is reflected in the impressive figures.
Man Utd have been convincing in the Europa League recently
After a narrow 0:1 home defeat on the first matchday of the group stage against Real Sociedad, the red devils have recently remained unbeaten on the international stage nine times in a row. Eight of these nine matches were victorious. Five of the aforementioned eight victories even came with a clean sheet. In three cases, MNU celebrated victories with at least a two-goal difference.
However, the performances in the knockout rounds deserve special mention, in which the English record champions were able to prevail against strong teams such as Barcelona or Betis Sevilla. In both cases, the decisive step towards the next round was taken at home. Barcelona were beaten 2-1 at home and Betis Sevilla were even beaten 4-1 at Old Trafford. In view of these performances, the odds on a home win between Manchester United and Sevilla on Thursday evening should also be considered. Possibly even as a handicap bet -1.
In terms of form, ten Hag’s team also seems to have recovered, because after three Premier League games without a win or a goal, including the 7-0 defeat at Liverpool, United won their two most recent home games against Brentford (1-0) and Everton (2-0) without conceding a goal. A strong home record of 11 wins, three draws and just one defeat in 14 PL encounters, as well as six victories by two goals or more, also serves as a strong argument for a successful EL evening for the multiple European Cup winners.
Last matches of Manchester United:
Premier League
08/04/2023 – Manchester United 2 – 0 Everton
06/04/2023 – Manchester United 1 – 0 Brentford
02/04/2023 – Newcastle 2 – 0 Manchester United
FA Cup
19/03/2023 – Manchester United 3 – 1 Fulham
Europa League Final Stage
17/03/2023 – Real Betis 0 – 1 Manchester United
Sevilla – Statistics & current form
If we addressed the prioritisation of the different competitions at the English top club from the industrial city of Manchester, it is also worth taking a look at the current situation at Sevilla FC. In fact, the southern Spaniards are still struggling to stay in La Liga. As 13th in the table, they are currently only five points ahead of the relegation zone.
Nevertheless, there have been improvements in recent weeks. Under new coach Jose Luis Mendilibar, who is now the third manager to succeed the ousted Jorge Sampaoli, the Andalusians have picked up four points from two league games. However, because the “Nervionenses” led 2-0 against Celta Vigo in injury time last Friday and ultimately had to settle for a 2-2 draw, the result is still not ideal.
Will Sevilla lose all their chances of progressing away from home?
The situation is made even more difficult on Thursday by the fact that the Red and Whites have to play away from home. The Sevillistas have only managed to pick up 13 of their 32 points in opposition stadiums. Only three clubs in Spain’s top flight have conceded more goals away from home than the Blanquirrojos, who have conceded an average of almost two goals per game at national level.
Incidentally, this away weakness has also taken root in the international season. Of their five appearances as visiting team, Sevilla have not won a single one. Neither in the Champions League group stage nor in the Europa League knockout phase did they manage an away win.
Even worse: Both away games in the Europa League in Eindhoven (0:2) and at Fenerbahce (0:1) were lost without a goal of their own. Since the upcoming opponents are even stronger, there is almost no alternative to predicting a home win before the first leg between Manchester United and Sevilla at Old Trafford. If you are not a fan of handicap betting, you can also put the double HT1/FT1 on your betting slip.
Last matches of Sevilla:
La Liga
08/04/2023 – Sevilla FC 2 – 2 Celta Vigo
01/04/2023 – Cadiz 0 – 2 Sevilla FC
20/03/2023 – Getafe 2 – 0 Sevilla FC
Europa League Final Stage
17/03/2023 – Fenerbahçe 1 – 0 Sevilla FC
La Liga
12/03/2023 – Sevilla FC 2 – 1 Almeria
Manchester United – Sevilla Direct comparison / H2H balance
In review of the past five years, there have been a total of three clashes between these two highly decorated and prestigious clubs. The most recent direct encounter was a narrow 2-1 win for Sevilla FC in the 2019/20 EL semi-final. There was no second leg then due to pandemic conditions.
In 2017/18, the Andalusians even prevailed 2-1 at Old Trafford to advance to the CL quarter-finals. So in three attempts, Manchester United have never won against the southern Spaniards. If that changes on Thursday night, Manchester United and Sevilla are offering odds of 1.40 on a home win.
Manchester United – Sevilla Tip
Eight teams are still fighting for the coveted final tickets to Budapest in the UEFA Europa League. According to the odds, Manchester United currently have the best chance of winning the whole thing. On the one hand, this is due to the fact that the Red Devils are the only remaining team from the strongest league in Europe, but on the other hand, it is also due to their recent good performances in the intermediate round and the round of 16.
After the great FC Barcelona and Betis Sevilla, the next Spanish opponent is now to be eliminated. The ten Hag team is aiming for a small preliminary decision at home on Thursday evening. A commanding home victory is definitely not out of the question. This is also proven by the Manchester United vs. Sevilla betting odds, which put the English team in the top favourite position.
The Premier League fourth-placed team is unbeaten in nine matches at international level, celebrating eight victories in the same period and keeping its clean sheet five times. In contrast, the Andalusians are still waiting for their first away win in 2022/23. In Eindhoven and at Fenerbahce, the Blanquirrojos recently suffered defeats without scoring a goal of their own.
