Manchester United need to bounce back from a horrible 7-0 defeat at Liverpool. This won’t be at all easy when the team take on Real Betis which week.
Even though United beat Barcelona in the last round, the team have a poor record against Spanish teams in Europe, knocked out by La Liga teams for the past five consecutive years.
Real Betis sit fifth in La Liga and held Real Madrid to a 0-0 draw on Sunday night.
They have conceded only 25 goals in 24 La Liga games, with their success built on defensive resilience, as you would expect from a Manuel Pellegrini side.
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Manuel Pellegrini record v Manchester United
Manuel Pellegrini is an old foe of Manchester United who has managed against the Red Devils 15 times in his career.
This has come during stints in charge of three different clubs, with first with Villarreal, then Manchester City, and more recently West Ham.
Pellegrini has lost against Manchester United just three times in those 15 games, a very impressive record, with five wins and five draws.
The Chilean tactician was a manager Sir Alex Ferguson failed to beat in four games against Villarreal.
These involved two 0-0 draws in 2005 and two 0-0 draws in 2008. Pellegrini knows how to come to Old Trafford and frustrate the home crowd.
He has won at Old Trafford too, leading Manchester City to a 3-0 win in 2014, having beaten David Moyes’ side 4-1 in his first derby, also drawing 0-0 at the stadium two years later.
Pellegrini has beaten United twice with West Ham, 3-1 in 2018 and 2-0 in 2019, his most recent encounter.
He has suffered defeats three times, first losing in his eighth match against the Red Devils, a 4-2 loss to Louis van Gaal’s side in 2015.
Marcus Rashford’s winner at the Etihad in 2016 in a 1-0 win also served to hasten his departure from the club, while his last visit to Old Trafford was a 2-1 defeat with West Ham.
Pellegrini has never managed against Erik ten Hag. But if Pellegrini’s record shows anything, it is that the Dutchman has his work cut out.
United need to deliver a convincing attacking display and record a big win in response to the weekend mauling by Liverpool. But the match at Old Trafford against Real Betis is set up as a very difficult, tight encounter which looks set to be a nervous night.
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