Real Betis v Manchester United: Europa League last 16, second leg – live | Europa League
2 min read
Key events
Erik ten Hag talks to BT Sport. “[Pellistri] deserves it … he is training very well … Harry Maguire is training very well … it is about rotation … we know Harry can do the job, he is an outstanding player so he will do the job … [Pellistri] knows the principles, knows his job, and now it’s about him … he knows his teammates and the tactics and what we expect from him … he can do it and he has proved it in many games and also for the national team and we see it every day in training … you can’t go in a game when you are afraid of getting a booking [both Fernandes and Casemiro will miss the next match if booked this evening] … we play on the front foot … it is high pressing and aggressive … it can happen that you get a booking … but we have to win this game so you have to bring a strong team and Bruno and Casemiro belong in it.”
Pre-match entertainment. A schadenfreude special for United fans.
Real Betis coach Manuel Pellegrini makes three changes to the side named for the 4-1 defeat at Old Trafford. Rui Silva replaces Claudio Bravo in goal, while Edgar González and Aitor Ruibal step in for Luiz Henrique, who drops to the bench, and the hamstrung Luiz Filipe.
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag makes four changes to his starting XI from the first leg. In come Harry Maguire, Tyrell Malacia, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and, making his long-awaited first start for the club, Facundo Pellistri. Raphael Varane, Diogo Dalot and Luke Shaw drop to the bench, while Antony is ill.
The teams
Real Betis: Rui Silva, Sabaly, Pezzella, Edgar, Abner, Rodriguez, William, Ruibal, Juanmi, Joaquin, Ayoze.
Subs: Bravo, Martin, Ruiz, Iglesias, Canales, Henrique, Willian José, Guardado, Rodri, Miranda, Felix Garreta, Dani Pérez.
Manchester United: De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Martinez, Maguire, Malacia, Fred, Casemiro, Pellistri, Fernandes, Weghorst, Rashford.
Subs: Heaton, Butland, Lindelöf, Sabitzer, Varane, Dalot, Shaw, Sancho, Elanga, McTominay.
Referee: Srdjan Jovanović (Serbia).
Preamble
Last week this happened …
… so Manchester United are very much on the brink of the quarter-finals. One word of warning, though. While they’ve won 20 of the previous 25 European ties in which they’ve won the first leg at home, one of the five failures sticks out like a sore thumb: in the 1963-64 European Cup Winners’ Cup quarter-finals, they beat Sporting 4-1 at Old Trafford only to lose the return in Lisbon 5-0. That remains their heaviest defeat on the continental stage. Betis are battling against history all right, but that’s some outlier. Kick-off is at 5.45pm GMT, 6.45pm in Seville. ¡Esta encendido! It’s on!
