Manchester United vs Real Betis: UEFA Europa League Preview, Round of 16, 2023

Betis will travel to Old Trafford for the first time in their history, in the first leg of the Europa League Round of 16.

By Rudy Blank-Brown8 March 2023 23:55 BST

SEVILLE, SPAIN - DECEMBER 10: Aaron Wan-Bissaka of Manchester United in action during the friendly match between Real Betis and Manchester United at Estadio Benito Villamarin on December 10, 2022 in Seville, Spain. (Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)

The two sides previously met in a friendly fixture which took place during the Qatar World Cup, on the 10th of December. Nabil Fekir scored the only goal in the match which finished 1-0 to Real Betis, at their home stadium.

This time, the stakes are much higher with Manchester United having a point to prove after their embarrassing 7-0 defeat to Liverpool, last Sunday, just a week after winning the League Cup.

Betis’ manager, Manuel Pellegrini, feels as though Man United’s humiliating result will not be a factor going into their tie. “I don’t think that they will play with the last game in their mind. I think that they will play in their duty, that they have to qualify for the next round of the Europa League.”

Pellegrini, who was the Manchester City manager before Pep Guardiola’s arrival, also said that “We must be the best Betis we can do if we want to have a good result here.”

Betis will be the third Spanish opposition for Man United to face in the Europa League. The Reds were runners up to Real Sociedad in the group stage, and they overcame La Liga front runners Barcelona over two legs, in the competition’s new playoff format.

Erik ten Hag now has the task of rejuvenating a side with damaged morale to face the team that sits 5th in the Spanish 1st Division.

“There’s no point dwelling on what happened. We just press the reset button.”

Team News

Manchester United

Despite rumours that the two former Real Madrid teammates, Casemiro and Raphaël Varane, picked up recent knocks, ten Hag has confirmed that both will feature in the squad for Man United.

The Dutchman did confirm that loanee Marcel Sabitzer will miss the game through injury. The severity of Sabitzer’s condition is yet to be confirmed.

Anthony Martial, Donny van de Beek and Christian Eriksen all remain sidelined however, Martial could possibly return to the fold soon following complications with a hip problem.

Real Betis

To the delight of Betis supporters, midfielder Sergio Canales is in the travelling squad for the fixture. Canales, who has played the most minutes out of any Betis player this season, was not chosen to play against his former club Real Madrid last Sunday, following absences from the club’s previous two games. The de-facto captain is believed to be in a condition to feature in the game.

The scorer in the last game the two sides faced against each other, Nabil Fekir, will be sidelined due to knee surgery.

Predicted lineups

Manchester United

De Gea; Wan Bissaka, Varane, Shaw, Malacia; Fred, Casemiro; Sancho, Fernandes, Rashford; Weghorst.

Real Betis

Bravo; Sabaly, Pezzella, Felipe, Miranda; Rodríguez, Carvalho; Canales, Rodri, Pérez; Iglesias.

Key players

Manchester United: Marcus Rashford

Perhaps the obvious choice, Marcus Rashford will undoubtedly be fired up going into this match. United’s talisman this season is the joint-top scorer in the Europa League, with 4 goals. After failing to score against the team whom he loathes, Liverpool, Rashford will be desperate to put on a show for the United fans.

It may not necessarily be with a goal either, he ran riot against Barcelona in United’s previous Europa League game despite absence from the scoresheet.

Real Betis: Borja Iglesias

Admittedly, this would have been Nabil Fekir if it was not for his injury, as he has performed well in this competition. However, Borja Iglesias is definitely one to watch too. Iglesias has been the man Betis have replied upon for goals this season. The striker sits on 10 league goals this season; just 1 goal behind current Ballon d’Or holder, Karim Benzema.

He finished last season with 19 goals in all competitions and at his current scoring rate, he is set to surpass that comfortably. While Iglesias is not the most mobile of forwards, his intelligence allows him to break away from his markers in the box to create effective scoring opportunities. Iglesias could pose a very different threat to what the Manchester United defence are used to.