As both Manchester City FC and Sevilla FC are on the same number of points, Wednesday night’s encounter between these two promises to be a rather enterprising affair, as the former Premier League and the former Europa League champions go head to head at the Etihad Stadium.
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Both Man City manager Manuel Pellegrini and Sevilla FC manager Unai Emery know each other all too well, from their time in La Liga. In this duel between the two managers, Pellegrini pips Emery four victories to three, with two more matches ending as draws.
However, Sevilla FC will go into this match, knowing that they stand a very good chance of coming out with a positive result, as Man City have traditionally not performed well in Europe.
“I don’t know the exact statistics but we must improve [our home form in the UEFA Champions League]. We are just thinking about this game, not the past,” Pellegrini was quoted as saying in a UEFA press release. “I hope we are just thinking about the game tomorrow. All the other things are statistics or history that will not help us to win or lose.”
The Man City manager further went on to say that he is treating this as a one-off game, and would not be dwelling too much on past results. He said,”They have some great players. The did not win the last two editions of the Europa League for nothing. I am sure every team wants to win Champions League but it is not easy. Our target is just to win every game we play.”
Sevilla FC manager Emery also seems to be taking the same approach to the game as Pellegrini. He says that he is also not dwelling too much on the past, and treating this as a one-off game, where anything could happen.
“It’s something we need to experience and enjoy, while also giving a good account of ourselves. We want to compete and show what we are capable of,” said Emery. “We’ve done OK so far in this competition a we’ve got one defeat and one victory, so tomorrow is key for us. A draw could be a positive result for us.”
He further said, “I see tomorrow’s game as being just as important as previous matches. City are a great team, a great squad a they have some great individuals. Whether one plays or not, they are still strong. We are aware of the dangers they can create but we also know we are capable of playing well a we can cause problems ourselves.”
Sevilla however, should put some daylight between themselves and City if they win this match. This being an away game for the Spanish side, they might also gain the away goals advantage over Pellegrini’s team, which could go on to help them, if they find themselves tied on the same number of points, with City. The away goals aspect makes this a rather interesting match, as Sevilla may not be intent on just sitting back and defending. After all, even if they’re aiming for a draw, a scored-tie would help their case more than a goalless one.