Lopetegui hails Man Utd ahead of Europa League semi-final clash
Sevilla coach, Julen Lopetegui, has hailed Manchester United ahead of their Europa League semi-final clash on Sunday night at the RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne, Germany.
Lopetegui said that the current Manchester United squad is their best line-up for a long time.
He hailed his opposite number, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who he believes has finally found the right balance for the many quality players within the side.
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Sevilla head into the semis having already ousted an English team, Wolves from the competition during the quarter-final stage, while United needed an extra-time penalty from Bruno Fernandes to edge Danish minnows, FC Copenhagen.
On the other side of the fence looking to make their way to the final are Internazionale and Shaktarh Donetsk, who will square off in the second semi-final on Monday, another encounter which seems too close to call.
“This United is the best Manchester United in recent years, a team that has found its way, that is why they have not lost in the Premier League since January,” Lopetegui told reporters at his pre-match press conference as quoted by Goal.
“They have found the space for the many quality footballers that they have. They are complete. They’ll force us to play a great game to compete with them.
He added: “This is what I hope for on Sunday night, a semi-final in a game of maximum difficulty and that will require us at all levels to play collectively.
“We like to play beautiful and important matches. For that, we have fought and worked all year. It’s an important game against a great opponent.
“We’ll be able to arrive prepared. We’ll try to overcome them, no matter how big a team they are.”
