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Manchester United and Sevilla, the two previous Europa League winners will go head to head tomorrow in a Champions League round of 16 clash. Sevilla are set to be the hosts for the first leg with both sides coming into this fixture in curious form.
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Jose Mourinho's men have faltered a bit in the new year whereas Sevilla's leaky defence has led them to a negative goal difference in the league this season. But the Spanish giants are an altogether different animal when it comes to the big games and especially in European games, one just cannot discard the threat that Sevilla carry.
Also read: An A-Z guide to Manchester United Football Club
On that note, let's take a look at the five reasons why Sevilla can beat Manchester United and enter their first ever Champions League quarterfinals:
#5 Current form
The Rojiblancos come into this on the back of three consecutive wins. They have just made it to the finals of the Copa Del Rey and as such, the morale of the team must be sky high. Sevilla defeated Atletico Madrid in the quarters of the Copa Del Rey and hence have a lot going for them in the recent few weeks.
Manchester United, on the other hand, have suffered two defeats in their last five encounters. They were handsomely beaten in the 2-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur whereas United were extremely poor against Newcastle United a fortnight later.
In last week's 2-0 win over Huddersfield Town as well, United were the second best side for longer parts of the game and were bailed out by a few moments of brilliance from the attackers.
It has been a strange season for United so far as it remains to be seen which Manchester United - the one which has looked extremely pedestrian at times or the one which has put teams to the sword, turns up against Sevilla.
#4 Sevilla's in-form attack
In the recent past, Sevilla are known to play an attractive brand of football which guarantees goals. And this campaign is no different! The attacking front of Pablo Sarabia, Wissam Ben Yedder, Luis Muriel, Nolito and Franco Vazquez have delivered the goods handsomely.
Ben Yedder is Sevilla's top scorer in Europe this season with six goals and was one of the highest scorers overall during the group phase. Sarabia is currently on a blistering run in front of goal and has scored five and assisted four in his last eight matches. The likes of Vazquez and Ever Banega have shown creativity in midfield whereas Nolito has been a regular starter.
When you put an in-form attack against a defensive unit that has come under criticism in recent times, it can prove to be a curious battle to watch. United's central defenders have underperformed recently with Phil Jones and Chris Smalling receiving a lot of flak in their two latest defeats. Sevilla's forwards would be relishing this opportunity to put the United backline under pressure which has proved to commit costly errors at crucial times.
#3 Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan - the Fortress
Sevilla's home turf has always proved to be one of the most difficult away trips for each team in La Liga. The atmosphere, the noise, the closeness of the pitch from the huge stands make it a nightmare for the opponents to play at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium.
The Rojiblancos have been stellar at home this season and have not lost a home match in the Champions League this time around. It includes that famous comeback against Liverpool where they managed to claw back from a 3-0 halftime deficit to end the match 3-3.
They have also lost just one home game this season, a 3-5 loss to bitter rivals Real Betis. Also, Sevilla have a 72% home win record in the Champions League for any team having played more than 15 games in the competition, bettered only by Real Madrid (73%).
On a European night, the Pizjuan can prove to be one of the most haunting experiences for an opposing player. During their hattrick haul of winning the Europa League, they had a killer home record in the knockout stages and will look to replicate that tomorrow against Manchester United.
#2 The Pogba conundrum
Manchester United's game changer. The midfield lynchpin. World's most expensive player for a season. A world-class talent. Paul Pogba can be described as any of the above statements but the recent turn of events involving him and Jose Mourinho has cast a huge doubt on Pogba's impact and future at the club.
An argument over Pogba's position has been in the talks for a while now with his best performances coming from playing a left-sided role in a 4-3-3 formation. But Mourinho has so far used him in a two-man midfield alongside Nemanja Matic which has not yet utilized the Frenchman to his full potential.
Also read: 5 longest-serving players on Manchester United's current roster
Despite possessing the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku, Paul Pogba can still be said as the player on whom United's hopes rest. If Pogba plays well, United play well.
After missing the weekend game against Huddersfield, Pogba is now back in training and is expected to start against Sevilla. All eyes will be on Jose Mourinho and/vs Paul Pogba and also on United's midfield setup.
#1 Sevilla are finally finding their identity under Vincenzo Montella
Taking over in December, Montella had a huge task at his disposal. The counter-attacking side of Unai Emery was somehow dented under Jorge Sampaoli and was completely lost under Eduardo Berizzo. The former AC Milan boss had to start from scratch and has come a long way since his opening match defeat against Real Betis.
Welcoming Steven N'Zonzi into the fray, Montella first identified his preferred set of players and has trusted them completely to do the job. Ever Banega has been top notch whereas the gaffer has placed a lot of emphasis on their wing play. The likes of Sarabia, Correa and Nolito have been afforded the desired freedom.
The January signing of centre-back Clement Lenglet has been inspiring and also the renaissance of Jesus Navas - Sevilla's record appearance maker at right back has been impressive. The two-legged win over Atletico Madrid in Copa Del Rey gave a perfect example of Montella's Sevilla blueprint and if it can be replicated now in Europe can cause a huge upset of sorts.
