Sevilla missing three players for Europa League clash with Manchester United

Sevilla will be without the services of three first-team players for Thursday’s Europa League quarter-final first leg with Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Pape Cheikh, who is on loan at the Spanish club from Marseille, is ineligible for Jose Luis Mendilibar’s side, while Joan Jordan and Jesus Manuel Corona are out with Achilles and muscle injuries respectively.

There is a return to the squad for Lucas Ocampos, though, with the 28-year-old available after missing the 2-2 draw with Celta Vigo in La Liga last time out due to a suspension.

Marcos Acuna received a late red card against Celta, but the Argentine is available to play in Manchester and has therefore been included in the La Liga team’s squad.

There is also a spot for on-loan Man United defender Alex Telles; there had initially been some confusion over his availability for this match, but he is able to take on his parent club.

Jesus Navas, 37, will head back to Manchester, with the Spaniard previously representing Manchester City between 2013 and 2017 before moving to Seville.

Youssef En-Nesyri, who played for Morocco at the 2022 World Cup, is Sevilla’s leading goalscorer this season, finding the back of the net on 14 occasions in all competitions.

Meanwhile, the second-highest goalscorer in the squad is former Tottenham Hotspur attacker Erik Lamela, who has found the back of the net on six occasions this term.

Rafa Mir has five goals in all competitions, but the other attacking players in the squad have found it difficult to contribute significantly this season, with Oliver Torres on three alongside Ocampos.

Ivan Rakitic has only netted twice this season, meanwhile, despite featuring on 37 occasions.

Head coach Mendilibar has decisions to make when it comes to his formation for this match, but he is expected to stick with a 4-3-3 formation.

Oliver Torres, Gonzalo Montiel and Rakitic could be among those to return to the XI following the league contest with Celta last Friday.

Sevilla squad vs. Man United:

Bono, Dmitrovic, Flores; Navas, Montiel, Bade, Marcao, Nianzou, Rekik, Acuna, Telles, Gudelj; Fernando, O Torres, Rakitic, Ocampos, P Gomez, Suso; Lamela, Gil, Mir, En-Nesyri