Needing nothing short of a miracle to remain alive in the Europa League, Real Betis welcome Manchester United to the Benito Villamarin Stadium for Thursday’s last-16 second leg. Manuel Pellegrini’s side were put to the sword 4-1 by the Red Devils in last week’s first leg – the perfect response to their Liverpool embarrassment for Erik ten Hag’s XI. Going through a world of emotions within the space of a week, Man United fans have experienced the true meaning of a tumultuous period, which continued with a high-octane goalless draw against Southampton in which goalkeepers and the woodwork stole the show.
Casemiro cut an inconsolable figure as he was sent off for a dangerous challenge on Carlos Alcaraz in the first half, and no fewer than 28 shots were fired across the 90 minutes at Old Trafford, but the net would not ripple once as the two sides played out a gripping stalemate. Any fleeting hopes of Ten Hag’s side knocking on the door of the top two in the Premier League table can surely be considered long gone, but further knockout success is still very much on the cards, and Man United have never been eliminated from the last 16 of the Europa League when winning the first leg. Winning just two of their last six away games does not bode all that well for Ten Hag’s team, but Man United have gone unbeaten in their last four trips to Spain and simply need to avoid a calamitous collapse to put their name in the pot for the quarter-finals.
Ten Hag’s biggest headache comes in midfield, specifically with whether or not to play Casemiro. The Brazilian was sent off against Southampton and will miss United’s next four domestic games. He is free to play in the Europa League, but is only one booking away from being suspended for one match. Ten Hag though has insisted that threat will not stop him from selecting arguably United’s player of the season. That means that Lisandro Martinez should drop out, with Harry Maguire expected to take the Argentine’s place alongside Varane. The second of the changes in defence should come at left-back, with Tyrell Malacia replacing the rested Luke Shaw. One of those senior figures should be goalkeeper David de Gea, who has impressed this season. Though he had a difficult time in the first leg against Betis, especially with his kicking, Ten Hag is likely to keep the Spaniard between the sticks.
It appears that Ten Hag has though lost confidence in Diogo Dalot, having subbed the right-back off at half-time in the first leg, then started Aaron Wan-Bissaka against Southampton. Wan-Bissaka should then also start the second leg, as he looks to maintain his current run in the team. Raphael Varane should also keep his place at centre-back, with Ten Hag set to start with one of his regular pairing in the centre of defence.
