Manchester United await Sevilla once again

V ictory over Wolves in Duisburg on Tuesday evening saw Sevilla move into the semi-finals of the Europa League, with Manchester United awaiting the serial winners of the tournament once again.

There remains a significant sour taste in the mouth at Old Trafford when you mention the Andalusian club, with the negative memories of their 2018 Champions League elimination at the hands of Sevilla still relatively fresh.

A superhuman performance from David de Gea kept the Reds in the tie at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan, before a Wissam Ben-Yedder brace at Old Trafford dumped Jose Mourinho 's side out of Europe.

It marked the beginning of the end for the Portuguese coach at Old Trafford, with fans starting to really distrust his methods in huge numbers after what was an embarrassing night for the club.

For Sevilla, meanwhile, it was a culmination of the decade-long process which has seen them establish themselves as one of Europe's best-run clubs.

Sunday, August 16, will see the two sides meet again in Cologne, with Los Rojiblancos essentially on home soil in the Europa League, the tournament they have won five times since 2006.

As both teams have qualified for the Champions League next term courtesy of a top four finish in their own respective league, the focus in this tie from all involved is merely about reaching a final, rather than the pressure of qualification through the back door.

With the format of the competition slightly changed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Julen Lopetegui must now prepare for a one-off duel where even one mistake could bring about elimination.

Manchester United are in far better shape than when the teams last met, but then you could argue Sevilla are too.

It's worth remembering that Sevilla actually failed to qualify for the Champions League in 2018/19, weeks after beating United.

Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford now feel the full trust of their coach, whilst the introduction of Bruno Fernandes has added creativity.

Sevilla will have to prepare to face up to such a strong line-up in order to reach another Europa League final, but history suggests they know exactly how to do just that.