Kike Lago: 'This Sevilla team is unpredictable!'

After our defeats of Barcelona and Real Betis in the last two rounds of the Europa League, perhaps there's an assumption among the media and fans that a quarter-final against the six-time champions will be a cakewalk, given the Rojiblancos' modest position in La Liga.

 

But football is rarely so straightforward. With that in mind, and to get a little more background on Sevilla's season so far, their recent managerial change and what to expect from tonight's match at Old Trafford, we caught up with Kike Lago – a devoted fan of the Andalusian club.

 

Scroll down to read about the mood in Spain ahead of this evening's first leg...

“There have been very few ‘best moments’ to be honest! From the start of the campaign results have been bad, which led to the sacking of Julen Lopetegui. We then brought in Jorge Sampaoli, but after some more poor results he was let go and the club brought in Jose Luis Mendilibar. In my opinion, if we hadn’t lost against Girona and Getafe [prior to Sampaoli’s sacking], we could have put a run together and have potentially secured mid-table respectability.”

 

“In my humble opinion, it was. The way we were going, we were staring at relegation. I’m with the players because I think they’re giving their all and they’re committed to the cause. They’re good and we just need to get the best out of them, and set up a good game plan. The only thing is we don’t have time to work on all this. Let’s see if Mendilibar gets it right.”

“The 2018 games we lived with uncertainty, as playing United is always tricky. That year Sevilla were doing well and we delivered a shock – drawing at home and

winning at Old Trafford, with two goals from a fantastic [Wissam] Ben Yedder. The 2020 game was even more exciting as it meant we progressed and ultimately won another Europa League.”

 

“I see this as more difficult than previous games against United. Sevilla team is unpredictable and no-one knows what level we’ll show. The United squad is spectacular. It’s full of great players like Fernandes, De Gea, Jose Diogo [Dalot] and those known to me from La Liga, Casemiro and Raphael Varane. It’s clear to me that United’s squad is one of the best in Europe."