Sevilla's bid to win back-to-back Europa Leagues will be tested at the quarter-final stage when they face Russian outfit Zenit St Petersburg, who are managed by former Tottenham Hotspur boss Andre Villas-Boas.
Sevilla, who beat Benfica in last season's final, won the competition the last time that they met Zenit at this stage, but it will be a tough test this time around.
Sevilla
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It would be fair to say that a number of teams have struggled to balance their domestic duties with European football this season, but that has not been the case for Unai Emery's side, who are on course for another impressive campaign.
Emery's stock is rising, with a host of European clubs said to be monitoring the Spaniard, but for now, he remains with Sevilla and is the man tasked with delivering another Europa League crown. The Spanish side beat Benfica in last season's final to make it three UEFA Cup/Europa League crowns.
In La Liga, Emery's side are currently fifth, just three points behind fourth-placed Valencia with seven games remaining. Much of their success this season has been built on their home form and as it stands, they have not been beaten at home in any competition in the 2014-15 campaign.
Indeed, the last time that Sevilla were beaten at the Estadio Ramon was in March 2014, when they lost 2-0 to rivals Real Betis in the Europa League – a tie that they turned around in the second leg. This season, they have beaten Feyenoord, Standard Liege, Rijeka, Borussia Monchengladbach and Villarreal on home turf in Europe and conceded just twice in the process.
In terms of their recent form, they have lost just one of their last 11 games in all competitions and they came from 2-0 behind to draw 2-2 with Barcelona in La Liga at the weekend. Emery has rotated his squad in Europe this season, but they have still proved far too strong for the opposition.
Sevilla's home record against Russian sides is also impressive – winning three of their four games, while the Spanish side have lifted this trophy each time that they have made it to the last eight. A seven-game European winning streak at home suggests that they will be confident of taking a lead into the second leg in Russia.
Recent form: LWWWWW
Recent form (all competitions): WWLWWD
Zenit
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It has been a turbulent few years for Zenit, but big money spent on high-profile players has allowed the club to enjoy a successful spell. They did not win the Russian league until 1984, but they have since picked up three titles (2007, 2010 and 2012), in addition to finishing as runners-up in the last two seasons.
They are going very well domestically this season, meanwhile, with 55 points from their 23 games leaving them top of the Russian Premier League – eight points clear of their nearest rivals Krasnador. They have only been beaten twice in the league this season and conceded just 14 goals. Indeed, they have not lost in the league since the end of November, with their two most recent defeats occurring in Europe.
Like Sevilla, Zenit have a UEFA Cup title to their name, with the Russian side enjoying success in 2008. Unlike Sevilla, however, Zenit started their European campaign in the Champions League this season. Villas-Boas's side collected seven points from their six games, but finished third behind group winners Monaco and second-placed Bayer Leverkusen.
As a result, Zenit dropped into the Europa League, where they beat PSV Eindhoven in last-32 stage before overcoming Torino in the round of 16. The Russian outfit lost the second leg 1-0 in Italy, but progressed 2-1 on aggregate.
Zenit have also lost 11 of their last 19 away games in Europe, while they have only won two of their 14 encounters with Spanish sides and are without a win in their last seven games against La Liga opposition. It gets worse, however, with their record in Spain reading played six, lost six.
That said, Villas-Boas knows what it takes to win this competition having lifted the trophy with Porto in 2011, and the Portuguese will see this as a good chance to rebuild his somewhat damaged reputation from his time in the Premier League.
Recent form: LWWWWL
Recent form (all competitions): DLWWWD
Team News
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Sevilla boss Emery only really has one injury concern ahead of the match, with experienced goalkeeper Beto still on the sidelines. The 32-year-old's absence has not been felt, however, with Sergio Rico stepping out from the shadows.
Emery has rotated his squad for the Europa League this season and it will be interesting to see just how many changes he makes from the regular XI. Daniel Carrico and Nicolas Pareja are the favourites to start at centre-back, but the likes of Stephane Mbia, Jose Antonio Reyes and Denis Suarez will all be hoping to start after limited league action in recent weeks.
The big decision will come up front, however, with Kevin Gameiro battling with leading scorer Carlos Bacca. Gameiro came off the bench to score against Barcelona at the weekend, while the Frenchman has scored twice in Europe this season. Emery has thus far resisted the desire to play both strikers and Gameiro should once again get the nod, with Vitolo and Aleix Vidal in close support.
Zenit, meanwhile, will be without four key players for the first leg through suspension. Leading scorer Hulk, who has netted 17 times this season, misses out, in addition to Domenico Criscito, Igor Smolnikov and Danny.
All four picked up bookings in the second leg of their last-16 clash away to Torino and therefore Villas-Boas will be without four players that realistically would have started.
The goalscoring onus will switch to Salomon Rondon, who has 16 goals this season, while Javi Garcia, Axel Witsel and Anatoliy Tymoshchuk will provide experience in the middle of the park. Zenit's all-time leading scorer Aleksandr Kerzhakov could also start against the team that he represented in the 2007-08 season.
Sevilla possible starting lineup:
Rico; Diogo, Pareja, Carrico, Tremoulinas; Iborra, Mbia; Vitolo, Banega, Vidal; Gameiro
Zenit possible starting lineup:
Lodygin; Anyukov, Lombaerts, Garay, Neto; Witsel, Tymoshchuk, Garcia; Shatov, Rondon, Kerzhakov
Head To Head
These two sides have met on four previous occasions, with both winning once and the further two clashes ending in draws. Three of those matches occurred in the 2005-06 season, when Sevilla lost away to Zenit in the group stages, before beating the Russian side 5-2 on aggregate in the quarter-finals of the competition.
The only time that the pair have met in Seville was in March 2006, and Juande Ramos's side were 4-1 winners in a game that saw two Zenit players sent off.
We say: Sevilla 3-1 Zenit
Many fancy Zenit in this competition, but without four key players for the first leg, it is difficult to see them winning in Spain. Sevilla are absolutely flying at the moment and will be full of confidence following their strong performance against Barcelona. Sevilla are the favourites and they should claim a first-leg victory.
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