Match Summary :
Manchester United visit Sevilla in round 16 of the Champions League (CL) and it is the first ever meeting between the teams in a UEFA competition.
Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, the home of Sevilla and reputed for its atmosphere, is a feared place for visiting teams. Since losing 3-1 at home against Juventus in November 2016, ‘Los Rojiblancos’ have lost just one game in all competitions here (5-3 against Betis in January 2018)!
They qualified for this stage after finishing second in their group on nine points. Unbeaten at home (of course!), they took seven of those nine points in front of their own fans.
If there is someone who knows how to beat Sevilla, however, it is Jose Mourinho. As manager of Real Madrid, ‘The Special One’ recorded seven wins and one defeat in eight matches. Can he keep tormenting Sevilla?
So far it’s all been good for United, at least, who breezed through the group stage winning five out of six matches.
Players to watch: Sevilla striker Wissam Ben Yedder has scored six of Sevilla’s 12 CL goals this season.
In a United side struggling with injuries, goal scoring duties will again fall to ever-present Romelu Lukaku, who scored a brace in the FA-cup tie at the weekend. Can he build on his four CL goals?
Stat attack: Both teams scored 12 goals (2.0 on average) in the group stage, but where United only conceded three (0.5 on average), Sevilla conceded 12 (2.0 on average).
Sevilla’s home form this season is impressive (W13, D5, L1 from 19 matches), and they’ve kept a clean sheet nine times.
Sevilla were awarded on average 1.5 yellow cards in the CL group stage, United 1.33.
Fifty percent of United's games in the group stage ended with over 2.5 goals, and 83% of Sevilla’s did the same.
