David de Gea, the goalkeeper for Manchester United, has urged his teammates not to underrate Sevilla in the quarterfinal first leg of the Europa League on Thursday at Old Trafford.
Sevilla is having a difficult time in La Liga this year, hanging on to 13th position after only winning eight of their 28 games. They are only five points above the drop zone and have little chance of competing in any European tournament unless they win the Europa League for a record-breaking seventh time.
Before Jorge Sampaoli had been in command for five months, they began under Julen Lopetegui in the Champions League group stage. The newest person in the spotlight is Jos Luis Mendilibar.
Sampaoli lost his job due to Sevilla's poor league performance, but he managed to defeat PSV Eindhoven and Fenerbahce in the first two elimination rounds of the Europa League, advancing Sevilla to this level.
De Gea is adamant that the team that shows up for the quarterfinal this week and next won't be affected by La Liga results. De Gea was a member of the United team that lost to Sevilla in the Europa League semi-finals in 2020, the last time they won the competition.
The United goalkeeper told ManUtd.com, "I think they are having a little difficulty in La Liga this year, but we know how they play in the Europa League.
"It's going to be a very difficult game, and they've already won it several times. They are tough, physically demanding athletes. It's going to be a really difficult encounter even though [they are] a terrific squad and I don't understand why they are having trouble in La Liga.
Although Sevilla has a strong history in the Europa League, De Gea argued that they are still the club to defeat despite United being the clear favorite to win the championship this year.
"Even when it seems impossible, they manage to prevail. Hence, it is how they operate, he stated.
"It doesn't matter how they are performing in the league; in the European games, they switch things up, go all-out, and win significant matches. As a result, in order to defeat them, we must be well prepared to play against them.
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