Nuno Espirito Santo has praised Wolves’ journey in the Europa League so far and is keen for his side to show they can do against Sevilla on Tuesday evening.
After defeating Olympiakos at Molineux last Thursday, Wolves progressed to the quarter-final and they now come up against the prolific five-time Europa League winners.
The Wanderers are aiming to win the competition to secure a place among Europe's elite next season. But to get a step closer they will need overcome this huge challenge.
The single-legged quarter-final tie is being played at the MSV-Arena in Duisburg, Germany due to UEFA’s decision to play the remaining games of the competition in one country to try and combat the threat of Covid-19.
‘This is a special group of players’
After Wolves reached their first European quarter-final since 1972, the question of ‘What can stop them?’ has been widely spoken heading into the business end of the tournament.
Espirito Santo’s side have regularly defied the odds throughout the past two seasons with their stand-out team ethic and style of play. A win on Tuesday would be another occasion that Wolves have shaken off the underdog tag. The Wanderers boss has praised the job his players have done at building this identity for the team.
He said: “We’ve been able to create an identity. It’s one of the most precious things in football – having an identity, based on a style of play and how we deal and socialize with our rules and tasks, how we deal with problems that happen.
“I’m very proud of how we did things. We can say that we have our own identity, based on the foundations of respect and hard work. This is what we want to show tomorrow.
“They’re resilient. There hasn’t been one day where the group hasn’t been committed. This is a special group of players, no doubt about it.”
‘It’s going to be very tough’
Opponents Sevilla are one of Europe’s in-form teams with the Spanish outfit currently unbeaten in their last 18 games in all competitions.
Julen Lopetegui’s side have won the Europa League five times and are considerably more experienced in playing on the big stage. Espirito Santo is wary of the threat and is expecting a difficult game.
He said: "We've been analyzing, we know of Sevilla's talent and quality and of Julen (Lopetegui), who I know personally. It's going to be very tough.
“They’re a very good team and a tough opponent. Good players, a good manager, big, big challenge for us tomorrow. Enjoyable or not, I cannot guess, but we are committed to it, so let’s play it and let’s play good.”
‘It’s the reality and we have to get through it’
Unfortunately, due to Covid-19, the remaining matches of the tournament will be played behind closed doors, leaving fans at home watching the game through their TVs.
Usually, the European knock-out stages are a spectacle for any fan to experience but for Wolves fans who should be attending their first quarter-final for 48 years, it will hurt not to be at the stadium cheering their team on.
Espirito Santo has spoken about his personal disappointment at the absence of the fans but wants the Wanderers faithful to know that the team still feels them and aims to succeed on Tuesday to reward their loyalty.
He said: “It’s terrible. It’s so sad to come to a stadium and knowing no fans are there. It’s the reality and we have to get through it.
“We felt them in the previous game, we saw some images of fans, suffering during the game against Olympiacos but we’ll try to make it worth it tomorrow, so let’s be stronger tomorrow.”