We have reached the semi-final stage of the 2019/20 UEFA Europa League. The first semi-final to be played will take place on Sunday the 16th of August between Sevilla and Manchester United. This match will be played at the RheinEnergieStadion, in Cologne and will be a one-off match, with extra time and penalties if necessary, to decide the winner.
Sevilla come into the match having defeated Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 in the quarter-final. It was an extremely tight game, with Wolves having a penalty saved by Yassine Bounou before Lucas Ocampos scored the winning goal with just minutes remaining on the clock.
That result means Sevilla have played and won 2 one-off games in the Europa League knockout stages this season. They met Roma in similar circumstances in the Round of 16 and won the match 2-0.
Sevilla have a superb record in this competition and trends show there are no losses in 23 of their most recent 26 Europa League games. They have lost only one of their last 10 games in the Europa league, with the defeat coming away against APOEL in the final match of the group stage.
For those who like to watch high scoring games, Sevilla are perhaps not the best team to follow. Their most recent games have been low-scoring, with under 2.5 goals in their last 6 matches in the Europa League.
Manchester United reached this stage of the competition following a tough 1-0 victory over FC Copenhagen in the quarter-final. The Red Devils played well for most of the game, hitting the woodwork a few times and finding FC Copenhagen goalkeeper Karl-Johan Johnsson in inspired form.
The match against the Danes was more difficult than the previous round when Manchester United breezed past LASK of Austria 7-1 on aggregate. All of the damage was done in the first leg as Manchester United defeated the Austrians 5-0 at their own stadium, although no fans were allowed inside the venue.
Much like their opponents, Manchester United have suffered just one defeat in the Europa League this season and that is their only loss in their last 22 matches in the competition. Trends show Manchester United have successfully kept a clean sheet in 8 of their 11 most recent Europa League games, including 3 of their last 4 matches.
Team news and Sevilla will be without Sébastien Corchia and Nemanja Gudelj. Manager Julen Lopetegui is expected to go with the same starting line-up from the previous game.
Manchester United have three players unavailable with Axel Tuanzebe, Luke Shaw and Phil Jones in the treatment room. Having gone to extra time in hot conditions against FC Copenhagen, it will be interesting to see if there any changes to the starting XI by Ole Gunnar Solskjær.
Yet another huge game is on the horizon... 💭🔴 #MUFC🏆 #UEL🧠 #WednesdayWisdom pic.twitter.com/oKhnrz3dIm— Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 12, 2020
Yet another huge game is on the horizon... 💭🔴 #MUFC🏆 #UEL🧠 #WednesdayWisdom pic.twitter.com/oKhnrz3dIm
Given the strong recent defensive records by both teams, we do not expect to see a huge number of goals scored in this game. The match is also expected to be close in terms of the final score and we could see the game end level, with under 2.5 goals. That means the possibility of extra time and penalties.