Sevilla vs Manchester United-1945-Champions League-Round of 16-1st Leg Match Thread

Bret Hart

Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba is in contention to play in the first leg of his side's last-16 Champions League tie at Sevilla.

Pogba missed the 2-0 FA Cup win over Huddersfield Town on Saturday because an illness, but trained on Tuesday.

Striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who has not played since 26 December because of a knee injury, has also returned to training but is not expected to play.

Marcos Rojo, Phil Jones and Marouane Fellaini are also likely to miss out.

Talking about Pogba, Mourinho said: "When a player is in a competitive (training) session it is normally because they are ready without problems."

The injuries to defenders Rojo and Jones mean the return to fitness of Eric Bailly is timely after he played as a late substitute at Huddersfield.

Goalkeeper David de Gea is set to return after being rested for the Huddersfield game, while Marcus Rashford, Ander Herrera and Antonio Valencia also have a chance of recovering from injury to play in Spain, with all three joining in training.

Rashford and Herrera have missed the last couple of games and Valencia played in the Premier League defeat at Newcastle but missed out at Huddersfield.

Ibrahimovic has missed 10 matches because of his latest knee injury - the same knee he injured in April when ruptured cruciate ligaments kept him out of action for more than six months.

Mourinho, who guided United to Europa League glory in 2017 to qualify for this season's Champions League, has won the biggest prize in European club football twice - with Porto in 2004 and Inter Milan in 2010 - but said it was too early to think of winning it this year.

"I normally say that Champions League dreams, they start around the quarter-finals and not yet," he added.

"The last 16 still looks a long way to go. At the moment, we have to focus on a very difficult moment."

Sevilla coach Vincenzo Montella praised his opposing manager and said he had studied his techniques.

"Mourinho was a pioneer when it comes to tactics in football. I've read many books. I think Mourinho is quite a good rival," said Montella.

"I am really excited by this match. We'll need to be ready mentally and physically. It'll be a great day, great match."

United are second in the Premier League, 16 points behind leaders Manchester City, while Sevilla are fifth in La Liga, 23 points adrift of table toppers Barcelona.

Match stats

This will be the first competitive meeting between Sevilla and Manchester United.

Manchester United have not scored more than one goal in any of their past 14 Champions League encounters with Spanish opposition (seven goals total).

Sevilla have reached the knockout stages of the Champions League for the fourth time in five appearances but have never progressed further than the last 16, while Manchester United are in the knockout stages of the competition for the first time since 2013-14.

Sevilla have never kept a clean sheet in the Champions League knockout stages (six games) but have also won two of their three home games (lost one).

Sevilla have won 72% of their home games in the Champions League (13 out of 18), the third highest tally after Real Madrid (76%) and Barcelona (73%) among teams to have played at least 15 home games in the competition.

Sevilla have won only two of their six games so far this season in the Champions League, the lowest tally among the 16 teams left in the competition.

Manchester United won five of their six group games this season, their highest tally in the Champions League since 2007-08.

Sevilla conceded 12 goals in this season's six group games, the highest tally amongst the 16 clubs left in the competition.

Manchester United have won only one of their last six Champions League knockout games (3-0 v Olympiakos in March 2014), drawing two and losing three.

Wissam Ben Yedder has scored 50% of Sevilla's goals in this season's Champions League (six out of 12). Of all players of the progressed teams, only Cristiano Ronaldo has netted a greater proportion of his side's goals in the group stages (53%).

Jose Mourinho will attempt to become the first manager to win the Champions League with three different clubs (after Porto in 2004 and Inter Milan in 2010)

Prediction : 0-0

*Game on RTE 2 and BT Sport 2

DickSwiveller

This will be an interesting match. Sevilla have a great home record and United have been pretty unimpressive this season. I think Mourinho might park the bus and hope to escape with a 0-0.

Johner

2-1 to Sevilla tonight with United going through at Old Trafford would be my prediction.

pudzey101

1 or 2 nil to sevilla if they can get past the bus IMO

DickSwiveller

DickSwiveller wrote: »

This will be an interesting match. Sevilla have a great home record and United have been pretty unimpressive this season. I think Mourinho might park the bus and hope to escape with a 0-0.

pudzey101 wrote: »

1 or 2 nil to sevilla if they can get past the bus IMO

'Quality' posting 4 posts into the thread :pac:

duffman13

M!Ck^ wrote: »

'Quality' posting 4 posts into the thread :pac:

One gets points for a quality username, the other loses them for being predictable.

Sevilla likely to play a high line against us which should at least make for an interesting game to watch.

mickmackey1

So Utd fans set up a match thread but other fans are happy with the club thread. You'd swear we were still in the Fergie era.

duffman13

mickmackey1 wrote: »

So Utd fans set up a match thread but other fans are happy with the club thread. You'd swear we were still in the Fergie era.

You don't have to post, tbh I usually try avoid both threads once the game kicks off and usually for a couple of days after. Each to their own but i dont think a match thread is something correlated to success or the Fergie era.

Fromvert

Said it in the other thread but I expect United to get by Sevilla without much fuss. Sevilla are not great and looked poor in the groups. United if anything seem to be underrated this year, they've had a few slip ups this season but they're still second in the league and got through their group with little fuss, Sevilla took a thumping off Spartak and drew with Maribor, Liverpool gave them 2 points.

Morzadec

pudzey101 wrote: »

1 or 2 nil to sevilla if they can get past the bus IMO

Will Mourinho bring out the bus for this one?

Sevilla are a good team, especially at home, but they're one of the weaker sides left and surely United would fancy themselves as superior and be happy to try to take them on

IITYWYBMAD

Reports all over the internet that Pogba has been dropped.

Mr.Nice Guy

United will do well to keep a clean sheet here. I can see it being a 1-1 draw which would be a pretty good result for United.

PhuckHugh

Utd will walk this. 1-1 tonight. 2-0 at home.

bucketybuck

IITYWYBMAD wrote: »

Reports all over the internet that Pogba has been dropped.

People will take that and run with it in whatever direction suits their own narrative, but if it is true there is one thing that shouldn't be forgotten.

And its that Pogba was ****ing dirt in his last few appearances, and people playing that badly can't complain if dropped.

IITYWYBMAD

bucketybuck wrote: »

People will take that and run with it in whatever direction suits their own narrative, but if it is true there is one thing that shouldn't be forgotten.

And its that Pogba was ****ing dirt in his last few appearances, and people playing that badly can't complain if dropped.

IF it's true, it certainly shows a breakdown between the manager and player. It's not as if Jose doesn't have history there.

Drumpot

IITYWYBMAD wrote: »

IF it's true, it certainly shows a breakdown between the manager and player. It's not as if Jose doesn't have history there.

Jose also has a history of winning leagues and champions leagues with multiple clubs. Let’s not forget that when deciding who might be more likely to bring success to the club!

GavRedKing

Think Utd will go through over two legs handy enough.

They'll be far too good for Sevilla over 180mins.

Drumpot

GavRedKing wrote: »

Think Utd will go through over two legs handy enough.

They'll be far too good for Sevilla over 180mins.

The Pogba situation may even things out depending on the nature of the issue.

If there is a power struggle , it could galvanize or split the team.

IITYWYBMAD

Drumpot wrote: »

Jose also has a history of winning leagues and champions leagues with multiple clubs. Let’s not forget that when deciding who might be more likely to bring success to the club!

I get ya. I also get the "Jose" way. Reports are that Matic/Herrera/McTominay are the midfield. Only one way that game will go with these lads in midfield, and that's the Jose way.

I would have thought UTD would have liked to stamp their authority, on a team which on paper they should easily beat. Looks like the bus is being rolled out.

Drumpot

IITYWYBMAD wrote: »

I get ya. I also get the "Jose" way. Reports are that Matic/Herrera/McTominay are the midfield. Only one way that game will go with these lads in midfield, and that's the Jose way.

I would have thought UTD would have liked to stamp their authority, on a team which on paper they should easily beat. Looks like the bus is being rolled out.

I’m not sure United are in a place to do that. They haven’t been consistent the last few matches and confidence wouldn’t be Sky high.

My guess is pragmatic strategy is the way tonight. Defend and counter attack with speed.

GavRedKing

Drumpot wrote: »

The Pogba situation may even things out depending on the nature of the issue.

If there is a power struggle , it could galvanize or split the team.

You're always going to get that with Mourinho in charge unfortunately.

As long as it doesnt reach Real Madrid or Chelsea 2016 levels, Utd will be grand tonight and for the next few years.

bucketybuck

IITYWYBMAD wrote: »

IF it's true, it certainly shows a breakdown between the manager and player. It's not as if Jose doesn't have history there.

No, it does not necessarily show that. Again, sometimes a player dropped for woeful performances is just a player dropped because of woeful performances.

Herrera for example has barely played all season despite being no worse than the **** show Pogba served up recently.

Pogba plays in a vital position and the team is badly affected by his lethargic displays so it makes sense that he could easily be dropped without ever being at war with the manager.

What the truth is will come out in the wash, but again the point is that the vast majority of players would expect to be dropped after ****e performances like that, so its not de facto a sign of a breakdown.

pjohnson

StringerBell

Grand team, hoepfully pogba gets a few minutes from the bench to earn his place back, would have preferred Shaw over young but not unexpected

limnam

IITYWYBMAD wrote: »

IF it's true, it certainly shows a breakdown between the manager and player. It's not as if Jose doesn't have history there.

No, it doesn't.

limnam

StringerBell wrote: »

Grand team, hoepfully pogba gets a few minutes from the bench to earn his place back, would have preferred Shaw over young but not unexpected

Young has put in much better performances tbh.
Not that shaw has done much wrong.

StringerBell

limnam wrote: »

Young has put in much better performances tbh.
Not that shaw has done much wrong.

Yeah I know I just feel young has dropped a bit lately, since coming back into the team but yeah it is much of a muchness

Pogba and Mourinho relationship looks broken.

StringerBell

RoboKlopp wrote: »

Pogba and Mourinho relationship looks broken.

If it was you wouldn't see pogba on the bench. Mourinho has already addressed this, unless you think he has now decided to change his approach to players he is done with.

limnam

RoboKlopp wrote: »

Pogba and Mourinho relationship looks broken.

No, It doesn't

I'm going to write a script to automate this response. Will be coming out a lot.

limnam

StringerBell wrote: »

If it was you wouldn't see pogba on the bench. Mourinho has already addressed this, unless you think he has now decided to change his approach to players he is done with.

Inconsistent and kicks water bottles.

They'd have a field day

TitianGerm

pjohnson wrote: »

Why play three midfielders and have your best midfielder who thrives in three man midfield on the bench

limnam

TitianGerm wrote: »

Why play three midfielders and have your best midfielder who thrives in three man midfield on the bench

Maybe he forgot his defensive duties in training.

Harry Palmr

Banega v Herrera sounds like a red card incident waiting to happen.

TitianGerm

limnam wrote: »

Maybe he forgot his defensive duties in training.

In a 3 man midfield he wouldn't have to do as much defensive work. He could do what he does best at the top end of the field.

It's stupid. That's the formation that Pogba would thrive in not a two man midfield.

Urindanger

Banega and Nzonzi up against that midfield could be interesting. United should still be beating these though.

limnam

TitianGerm wrote: »

In a 3 man midfield he wouldn't have to do as much defensive work. He could do what he does best at the top end of the field.

It's stupid. That's the formation that Pogba would thrive in not a two man midfield.

As I said.

That 3 is designed to do something completely different than with Pogba in it.

Mr.Nice Guy

I wonder have people been watching Pogba's games of late. He's been dire. He got outclassed by Jonjo Shelvey ffs.

Liam McPoyle

Mr.Nice Guy wrote: »

I wonder have people been watching Pogba's games of late. He's been dire. He got outclassed by Jonjo Shelvey ffs.

Of course they have, doesn't matter though.

Every other manager drops a player that has been poor then the manager is right.

Jose does it and there is a rift between them, he's throwing them under the bus and blah blah blah.

It gives the intellectually challenged something to talk about tbf.

mada999

GavRedKing wrote: »

Think Utd will go through over two legs handy enough.

They'll be far too good for Sevilla over 180mins.

aye I think so too...

TitianGerm

Business Cat wrote: »

Of course they have, doesn't matter though.

Every other manager drops a player that has been poor then the manager is right.

Jose does it and there is a rift between them, he's throwing them under the bus and blah blah blah.

It gives the intellectually challenged something to talk about tbf.

He's been poor in a system that doesn't suit his game. He played in a 3 man midfield against Everton and ran the show, the same system he played in at Juve.

limnam

TitianGerm wrote: »

He's been poor in a system that doesn't suit his game. He played in a 3 man midfield against Everton and ran the show, the same system he played in at Juve.

If were playing Everton tonight, he'd be playing.

Harry Palmr

Herrera on the right side of attack according to RTE graphic! Presumably that's not the case.

Fall_Guy

Business Cat wrote: »

Of course they have, doesn't matter though.

Every other manager drops a player that has been poor then the manager is right.

Jose does it and there is a rift between them, he's throwing them under the bus and blah blah blah.

It gives the intellectually challenged something to talk about tbf.

Do you believe Scott McTominay has performed better than Pogba in the last few games?? I certainly don't think he has done anything to deserve to hold onto the jersey ahead of Pogba on his worst day.

I absolutely feel like its throwing Pogba under the bus / trying to make a statement, particularly as the last two games have seen him deploy three midfielders.

TitianGerm

limnam wrote: »

If were playing Everton tonight, he'd be playing.

You are missing the point completely.

limnam

TitianGerm wrote: »

You are missing the point completely.

No, You're

TitianGerm

limnam wrote: »

No, You're

You're is actually short for You Are

limnam

TitianGerm wrote: »

You're is actually short for You Are

You want to talk about football or spcz?

TitianGerm

limnam wrote: »

You want to talk about football or spcz?

You were the one who corrected my grammar?

Mantis Toboggan

Plenty of show ponies to come on if we're winning (Pogba, Lingard, martial)

limnam

TitianGerm wrote: »

You were the one who corrected my grammar?

Haha, no I wasn't.

I meant no you're missing the point! :pac: