In the first leg of the quarter-final at home, Man Utd took a comfortable two-goal lead against Sevilla, but Ten Hag's team dropped the victory in surprising fashion.
With Sabitzer's double, the "Red Devils" led Sevilla 2-0 in the first 21 minutes. For a long time after that, Man Utd continued to dominate the match and it seemed that the giant of foggy football had secured a ticket to the Europa League semi-finals.
Man Utd bitterly lost the victory against Sevilla due to own goals (Photo: GI).
However, Mendilibar's side had other ideas and were rewarded with a much-improved second-half performance, with two late goals helping Sevilla to a 2-2 draw and a home win in the second leg.
There is something very strange about Sevilla and the Europa League. The team has won it six times, which is a record. It would certainly not be surprising to see Sevilla progress again this season despite domestic struggles in 2022/23.
Sevilla will have to win the Europa League if they want to play in the Champions League next season, as they are performing very disappointingly in La Liga, currently 13th in the table, 16 points behind fourth-placed Real Sociedad.
However, Mendilibar's side have shown signs of a revival, picking up seven points from their last three games, including a 2-0 win over Valencia at the weekend. If Sevilla overcome Man Utd - something many of their compatriots have failed to do in the Europa League this season, including La Liga leaders Barcelona - it would be a huge morale boost for Sevilla to salvage a disappointing season.
Sevilla is the team that has won the Europa League the most times - 6 times (Photo: GI).
Fortunately for Man Utd, UEFA has abolished the home-away goal rule, so the match at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan only needs a win-loss result, the winner will advance. The "Red Devils" are still confident of defeating Sevilla despite having to play away, but Ten Hag's army is seriously depleted at the most important stage of the season.
However, Man Utd have made a habit of recovering quickly from disappointing results and they were excellent in the Premier League on Sunday, winning 2-0 at Nottingham Forest thanks to goals from Antony and Dalot to consolidate their place in the top four.
The 20-time English champions are currently third in the Premier League, six points clear of fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur with a game in hand. Man Utd face Brighton in the FA Cup semi-finals on Sunday as they look to keep alive their hopes of winning another trophy.
Man United are unlikely to make a habit of playing in the Europa League, but they won the competition in 2017, and they remain favourites to lift the trophy this season despite last week's result at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils are still waiting for their first win against Sevilla, after two losses and two draws in their four previous meetings, including a Europa League semi-final defeat in August 2020.
Rashford's return gives Man Utd more options for attack (Photo: GI).
In terms of squad, Sevilla will be without Montiel due to suspension. Gueye is ineligible to play, and Jordan is also absent due to injury.
The majority of the squad that started last week's first leg will start for the return leg, with Rakitic, Torres, Nianzou and Bounou all returning after being rested against Valencia last weekend.
On the Man Utd side, Fernandes is suspended. Van de Beek, Garnacho, Heaton, McTominay, Martinez and Varane are all definitely absent due to injury, but the "Red Devils" squad will be strengthened with the return of four players.
Rashford, Shaw, Malacia and Sabitzer have all trained ahead of the trip to Sevilla. While it is not yet certain which of the four will start, the additions will give United the depth they need to confidently take on the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.
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