United v Sevilla: Five pre-match talking points

Here are five key talking points ahead of the game, starting with Sevilla's less-than-stellar domestic season...

TOUGH TERM IN LA LIGA

Sevilla are, by their recent lofty standards, experiencing a below-par league campaign as they currently sit 13th in La Liga and just five points above the relegation zone. The Andalusians have become used to fighting for a Champions League place and even the title this century, but they’re already on their third manager of the season after the departures of Julen Lopetegui and Jorge Sampaoli. Step forward, Jose Luis Mendilibar...

NEW FACE IN CHARGE

Sevilla swapped Sampaoli for Mendilibar just days after the quarter-final draw was made, with the outgoing Argentinian unable to prove a catalyst for the team during his second spell in charge. The new man is a highly experienced head coach, perhaps best known for establishing tiny Eibar as a top-flight staple between 2015 and 2021, and he has steadied the Sevilla ship somewhat, guiding them to a win and a draw in his two games so far. Although he has plenty of nous when it comes to the bottom end of La Liga, Mendilibar hasn’t taken charge of a European match for 18 years – and that was an Intertoto Cup defeat to Cluj during his short time at the helm of Athletic Club.

TELLES RETURNS

Premier League rules dictate that on-loan players can’t face their parent clubs, but no such rules apply in Europe, meaning Alex Telles is free to come up against United. The Brazilian, who has made 50 appearances for the Reds since arriving from Porto in 2020, has been competing with Argentina international Marcos Acuna on the left side of Sevilla’s defence this season, although he has started on the bench more often than not since returning from the knee injury he suffered during Brazil’s World Cup campaign. Still, it’ll be great to welcome Alex back to Old Trafford this Thursday – the last time a current Red was involved against us in Europe was in 2021, when Diogo Dalot played in both legs of the last-16 tie for AC Milan.

MARTIAL REUNITED

Anthony Martial was heralded on Saturday after scoring his first United goal since February and he will be surely motivated to follow that up with another on Thursday, against his former loan club. The Frenchman played for Sevilla last season, but appeared just 12 times and scored only once, with his time in Spain hit by injury. It’s fair to say that Anto will have a point to prove, both this week in Manchester and next week at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, and he may have to lead the line for United if Marcus Rashford is ruled out through injury.

HISTORY TO OVERCOME

Did you know that Sevilla are one of just two sides United have faced on more than two occasions and never beaten (along with Atletico Madrid)? The Andalusians knocked us out of the Champions League back in 2018, when Jose Mourinho was Reds manager, and then came from a goal down to win 2020’s one-off Europa League semi-final in Cologne. The Rojiblancos are famously excellent when it comes to the crunch in this competition, never failing to win it once they’ve reached the quarter-final stage, but records are there to be broken and we’ve already proved we can get the better of Spanish sides in Europe this season.