Sevilla seeks encouragement in Europe
The Sevilla team wants to park another bad moment in the league by directing their pass to the quarterfinals of the Europa League against Fenerbahce
MADRID, March 8 (EUROPA PRESS) –
Sevilla will try to put aside another bad moment in the league season and focus on trying to get their pass to the quarterfinals of the Europa League 2022-2023 on track this Thursday’s visit to Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán (9:00 p.m.) Turkish Fenerbahce, in the first leg of the round of 16 of the competition.
The Sevilla team is once again going through some problems that it seemed to have forgotten after a recovery that has now been threatened after adding just one point from the last nine in LaLiga Santander and seeing itself again with the pressure and danger of relegation to LaLiga SmartBank.
Jorge Sampaoli’s men have chained two very painful defeats in a row, the first because it was at home against Osasuna (2-3) and the second because of the forcefulness and the image left at the Cívitas Metropolitano where they fell last Saturday 6-1 to make set off the alarms again and the rumors about the continuity of the Argentine coach. Counting on the 2-0 conceded in Eindhoven (Netherlands) in the second leg of the ‘playoff’ against PSV, there are three consecutive setbacks.
Sevilla is seventeenth in the domestic tournament, marking salvation with 25 points, the same as a UD Almería that will be measured on Sunday in a direct duel that can “mislead” him in his attempt to return to being the protagonist in his beloved Europa League, which could now be an ‘obstacle’ in order to focus his efforts on ensuring his permanence as soon as possible.
‘Hurt’ by their severe defeat against Atlético, the Sevilla team will try to find solace in the continental competition and compensate their fans with another good game like the one they signed against PSV (3-0) and which allowed them to put the game on track. tie, although they will face a Fenerbahce that still does not know what it is to lose in this Europa League and that will want to take advantage of any type of nervousness or disconnection.
FENERBAHCE RETURNS TO PIZJUÁN 15 YEARS LATER
Sampaoli will surely have Gonzalo Montiel, Pape Gueye and Fernando Reges, who will not be against Almería due to suspension and it is unlikely that they will rest, while the coach admitted at a press conference that defender Loïc Badé is already recovered, but that the goal is for him to play the derby for what seems unlikely to be from the game. The importance of this game could give minutes to players with little prominence lately such as Rafa Mir, Alex Telles or Erik Lamela.
Sevilla meets again 15 years later with Fenerbahce, a rival that eliminated them on penalties in the round of 16 of the 2007-2008 Champions League after 3-2. The Turkish team, led by a proven coach like the Portuguese Jorge Jesús, will now return to their stadium, where they hope to arrive with all their options intact.
To do this, they will have to come out on top of a Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán, who in the Europa League has not seen a visitor who was not Spanish come out with victory since 2011 when Porto won 1-2. Since then, 29 wins, five draws and just two losses, against Betis and Athletic Club, the latter in 2016.
The Turkish team, ranked second in their league, arrives in Seville the opposite of their rival after not having lost in their last six games, with five victories. In the group stage, they went undefeated ahead of Rennes, AEK Larnaca and Dinamo Kiev and with only seven goals scored, despite having a level forward in their ranks like the Ecuadorian Enner Valencia, who already has 23 goals in the domestic tournament and that threatens the doubtful Sevilla defense with the Belgian Michy Batshuayi, recently recovered from an injury.
DATA SHEET.
–POSSIBLE ALIGNMENTS.
SEVILLE: Dimitrovic; Montiel, Nianzou, Fernando, Telles; Jordan, Rakitic; Oliver Torres, Lamela, Bryan Gil; and Rafael Mir.
FENERBAHCE: Bayindir; Kadioglu, Akaydin, Szalai, Lincoln; William Arao, Rossi, Kahveci, Zajc; King and Valencia.
–REFEREE: François Letexier (FRA).
–STADIUM: Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán.
–TIME: 9:00 p.m./Movistar Champions League.