Manchester United will be looking to seal their place in the Europa League quarterfinals when they take on Real Betis in Thursday's away encounter.

Real Betis will attempt to do the unthinkable and overturn a three-goal deficit against Manchester United in their Europa League last-16 tie. The Red Devils head to Spain in a very comfortable position after a fine second-half display at Old Trafford put them within touching distance of a spot in the quarter-finals.

In the history of the Europa League, only once has such a three-goal advantage been overturned in the knockout stage and Betis will look to draw inspiration from this ahead of the test. A week ago, Manuel Pellegrini's side were put to the sword at Old Trafford, suffering a 4-1 defeat against Erik ten Hag's men who sought a response after suffering a 7-0 humiliation against Liverpool in the Premier League.

The defeat at the Theatre of Dreams was occured in between a pair of La Liga stalemates with Real Madrid and Villarreal for Los Verdiblancos. Over the weekend, the Seville club who dropped point after conceding a late goal against the latter, a result that left them fifth in the table but only three points behind Real Sociedad.

In hindsight, Real Betis have not been able to advance beyond the last 16 of the Europa League in its current structure. Moreover, they only have one victory to boast about from their previous seven home games ahead of Manchester United's visit. Based on this, there is scant evidence to suggest that a remarkable comeback is likely to occur.

On the other hand, Erik ten Hag's men will be hoping to put the tie to bed when they take to the Benito Villamarín Stadium on Thursday. With the first leg advantage to their name, they will look to get back to winning ways following the weekend's draw with Southampton in the Premier League. The Red Devil's bid to secure successive wins after the thrashing against Liverpool was complicated after they were forced to battle with 10 men following Casemiro's first-half sending off.

In Europe, the availability of the Brazilian midfielder is not in question, and his side will be hoping that he will contribute to their bid to reach the last eight stage. United will approach the European encounter on the back of the fact that they have never been eliminated from the last 16 of the Europa League when winning the first leg.

Although winning only two of their last six away games is not an encouraging sign for Ten Hag's side, Manchester United have not lost in their previous four trips to Spain. Therefore, they need to prevent a disastrous collapse to secure their spot in the quarter-finals

Key stats: Real Betis vs Manchester United

  • Real Betis will host an English team in a European home game for the first time in over 15 years on Thursday, since their 1-0 victory over Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League group stages in November 2005.

  • Manchester United has played five of their last seven away European matches in Spain, including Thursday's game. However, they have been unbeaten in their most recent four visits to the country, winning against Real Sociedad and drawing against Barcelona this season alone.

  • Real Betis has only managed to progress from one out of their previous six significant European fixtures when they have lost the first leg. They achieved this by overcoming a 1-0 deficit against Vejle BK in the first round of the UEFA Cup in 1998/99, winning 5-1 in the second leg.

  • Marcus Rashford could become only the sixth Manchester United player to score 25 goals in major European competitions, having already scored 24 goals. He will also be the youngest Englishman to achieve this milestone in major European competitions in history, at the age of 25 years and 136 days on the day of the game.

Team news: Real Betis vs Manchester United

Real Betis' centre-back Luiz Felipe suffered a hamstring injury during their match against Manchester United, adding injury to their loss. He is expected to miss games until after the international break. The hosts will also miss Nabil Fekir and Juan Cruz due to injuries, but William Carvalho is returning from a La Liga ban. Sergio Canales may replace Joaquin in the starting XI as he has recovered from his injury.

On the other hand, Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag has many injury concerns, with Anthony Martial, Donny van de Beek, and Christian Eriksen all ruled out. Alejandro Garnacho is also injured and will be out for a few weeks. However, there is a boost in his camp with Anthony Elanga, Victor Lindelof, and Marcel Sabitzer all available now.

Broadcast information: Real Betis vs Manchester United

 

Match details, result and original broadcast info

Real Betis 0 - 1 Manchester United

March 16, 2023 1:45pmEstadio Benito Villamarín (Sevilla)

This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.

Live TV coverage and streaming in United States

Paramount+
fuboTV
TUDN USA
TUDN.com
Sport 24
TUDN App