Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag reacts to drawing with Sevilla in the Europa League
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag reacts to his team facing Sevilla in the quarter-final of the Europa League.
Sevilla becomes the fourth La Liga side United will face in the competition this season. They faced Real Sociedad in the group stage, Barcelona in the playoff tie and Real Betis in the last-16.
Sevilla, managed by Jorge Sampaoli, edged past Turkish side Fenerbahce in the last round. They are the serial winners of the Europa League in the last decade, winning it four times in the last eight years.
Ten Hag expects a tough tie against the Spanish side. Here’s what he said (h/t Manchester Evening News):
“Back to Sevilla and as you say a very good record, we have to be aware of it. It is going to be tough, they are very experienced in the Europa League, won it so many times.
“I don’t know the team in detail but for me the most important is football and I don’t look forward to Seville. First, we have the international break and then three Premier League games so there is much time to focus on that so definitely so all the opponents are coming to this stage of the Europa League they are strong and you have to play your best football if you want to go through.”
While Sevilla have the pedigree in this competition, United have the better team on paper. With the quality the Red Devils possess, they should feel confident about getting past a side that is struggling in their league and had a forgettable Champions League group stage before the
World Cup.Barring a collapse, we won’t finish outside the top four places in the league. So, ten Hag can focus on playing his best XIs for the remaining cup games, be it in the FA Cup or the Europa League and aim to make it a cup treble by the end of this season.
The European tie is after the international break, so the attention should return to the FA Cup quarter-final against Fulham on Sunday.
Marco Silva’s men have been in great form in the league and have done well in this competition so far. Despite the tie being played at Old Trafford, where United’s record is sensational, it won’t be easy against the Cottagers.
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Let’s hope we end the middle part of the season with a win over Fulham, before resuming everything in April for the final push.