Manchester Unitedwelcome Sevilla to Old Trafford
Manchester United will be bidding to claim a first-leg advantage when they welcome Sevilla to Old Trafford in the quarter-finals of the Europa League on Thursday night.
This is not the European competition that Man United will want to get used to operating in, with head coach Erik ten Hag having ambitions of taking the club back to the top of the Champions League tree, but the Europa League provides another chance to win some major silverware this season.
The Red Devils eliminated Barcelona in the Europa League knockout round playoffs before beating Real Betis 5-1 on aggregate in the round of 16; Sevilla are now standing between the English giants and another major European semi-final, and they have lost their last two games against the La Liga outfit, including in the semi-finals of the Europa League back in 2020.
Sevilla deserve respect due to their immense record in this competition, but it has been a poor campaign for the club, and we are finding it difficult to back them to pick up a positive result in this match. Man United’s superior quality should shine through to allow them to claim a strong first-leg advantage.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Juventus, Sporting Lisbonslug it out in Turin
After both qualified for the Europa League quarter-finals in very different style, Serie A giants Juventus and Portuguese champions Sporting Lisbon meet in the first leg of their last-eight tie on Thursday.
Sporting travel to Turin having overcome domestic travails to topple Premier League leaders Arsenal and progress on penalties, while Juve’s controversy-hit campaign continued with a more serene passage past Freiburg.
Since navigating their way into the quarter-finals, Juventus have experienced more mixed fortunes in a season bedevilled by setbacks on and off the pitch.
Nonetheless, they have still won 11 of their last 15 matches all told, and after beating Bundesliga overachievers Freiburg both home and away last month they have won each of their last three in Europe without conceding a single goal.
Sporting have failed to win any of their 15 games away to Italian sides in Europe throughout a long and illustrious history. Indeed, a tally of 11 defeats during that time sees precedent well and truly stacked against them on Thursday evening.
Masters of taking the lead and then grinding out a gritty victory, a well-drilled Juventus side can nullify Sporting’s lively attack and take a slim advantage with them to Lisbon next week.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Feyenoord & Roma meet again inEuropa League quarters
Less than a year after they met in a close-fought continental final, Feyenoord and Roma convene again on Thursday for the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final tie, at De Kuip. Having not lost in the league since November and crushed Shakhtar Donetsk 7-1 in their Europa League last-16 second leg a few weeks ago, the Rotterdammers are enjoying a prolonged purple patch – blotted only by their controversial KNVB Beker semi-final loss to arch-rivals Ajax last Wednesday.
While the Serie A side came out on top in last term’s Europa Conference League decider, their in-form hosts are on course to become Eredivisie champions and are well-placed to take revenge.
Since losing 1-0 to Jose Mourinho‘s men in last May’s inaugural Conference League final, Feyenoord have gone from strength to strength despite inevitably losing players to richer clubs across Europe. While Feyenoord have had to shop around smartly to ensure losing the Conference League final did not bring the early end of an era, Roma recruited from the elite last summer.
Nearly 2,000 seats will be left empty for Thursday’s fixture as a result of subsequent safety measures.
Having scored 21 goals in their last six matches, Feyenoord can surely find the net at least once in front of their own fans; capitalising on Roma’s frailties outside the Italian capital. That could see the Rotterdam side take a slim lead into next week’s return leg.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
