Manchester United v Sevilla Betting Tips [13 April 2023]

Manchester United and Sevilla will once again clash in European competition when they face off on Thursday in the first-leg match of their Europa League quarter-final two-legged tie in Manchester. This will be the fourth meeting between the two teams and the second in the Europa League. United have never beaten their Spanish opponents and have lost the last two matches against them with the latest coming in the semifinals of this very competition in the 2019/20 season. United lost that single-leg match (2-1) played at an empty stadium in Cologne at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Red Devils were also eliminated by Sevilla in the second round of the Champions League in 2017/18, drawing 0-0 away before being beaten 2-1 at home in the return fixture. Erik ten Hag’s men will for certain have this in the back of their minds as they prepare for this match. United have been in fine form under Ten Hag this season and come to this match having lost just twice in their last 19 outings. Their home form is even more incredible with 22 wins from their last 25 matches. The Premier League side have faced off with three Spanish La Liga teams in the Europa League this season; Real Sociedad, Barcelona and Real Betis and have won four of those six home and away matches with only one ending in defeat. Key to their success has been the form of Marcus Rashford. The forward has been involved in 38 goals for United across all competitions (28 goals and 10 assists) but he is a major doubt for this match after picking up a groin injury in the win over Everton over the weekend. This is a huge blow to United but there are able replacements in the squad with one of them being Anthony Martial who came off the bench to score against Everton. United will also have Casemiro back after the midfielder missed the last four domestic matches due to suspension.

Sevilla have not won an away match in Europe this season and have lost their last two knockout tie away matches in the Europa League. To advance to this round they have had to rely on a strong performance at home. They will hope to try and avoid digging deep in the return fixture and secure an early advantage on Thursday. Their form against United over the years suggests that they can do it, but recent results in this match suggest otherwise. The Rojiblancos have been below par all season and have struggled to wriggle their way out of the relegation picture in La Liga. This led to the sacking of manager Jorge Sampaoli right before the international break with Jose Luis Mendilibar coming in to steady the ship. The former Eibar tactician has done exactly that and has Sevilla unbeaten in the two matches he has been at the helm. Sevilla beat Cadiz 2-0 away before drawing 2-2 with Celta Vigo last time out. The win over Cadiz ended a run of four successive away defeats. Sevilla will be without the services of Pape Gueye who started the game against Celta but was dismissed in the first half for two bookable offences. In his place comes Lucas Ocampos who missed the weekend clash due to suspension.

Manchester United have always struggled against Sevilla in Europe but with how both teams have performed coming into this match, we feel confident that Manchester United v Sevilla will end in a home win. With United looking strong defensively and Sevilla struggling for goals, especially while on the road, a side bet of under 2.5 goals is also an enticing option.