Real Betis vs Man United Europa League round of 16 second leg preview: Where to watch, kick-off time, predicted line-ups

Real Betis and Man United meet in the UEFA Europa League round of 16 second leg on Thursday 16 March.

Where to watch Real Betis vs Man United on TV

Fans can find their local UEFA Europa League broadcast partner(s) here.

What do you need to know?

"At home, in front of our great fans, absolutely anything can happen," said Real Betis striker Ayoze Pérez as he digested his side's 4-1 defeat at Old Trafford. United's recent 7-0 loss at Liverpool proved that even Erik ten Hag's side have bad days at the office, and Manuel Pellegrini's side won their last European home game 3-0, albeit against more modest opponents in HJK Helsinki.

United, meanwhile, have lost heavily in Spain before (3-0 in 2019 and 4-0 in 1994 at Barcelona, 3-0 at Atlético in 1991). The Red Devils continue to chase an unusual treble; the English League Cup winners are probably out of Premier League contention, but they take on Fulham in the FA Cup quarter-finals on 19 March and are obviously still in contention to win the Europa League, which they won under José Mourinho in 2016/17.

Predicted line-ups

Real Betis: Rui Silva; Miranda, Edgar, Pezzella, Sabaly; Guido Rodríguez, William Carvalho; Canales, Pérez, Joaquín; Borja Iglesias
Misses next game if booked: Bravo, Pezzella, Luiz Felipe, Aitor Ruibal

Man United: De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Martínez, Shaw; Casemiro, Fred; Sancho, Bruno Fernandes, Rashford; Weghorst
Misses next game if booked: Casemiro, Bruno Fernandes

Form guide

Real Betis
Form (all competitions, most recent first): DLDWWW
Where they stand: 5th in Spanish Liga

Man United
Form (all competitions, most recent first): DWLWWW
Where they stand: 3rd in Premier League, FA Cup quarter-finals, English League Cup winners

Expert predictions

Graham Hunter, Real Betis reporter
You have to go back 20 seasons for the last time Betis won a European knockout game by the three-goal margin needed just to take this second-leg tie to extra time. They have a mountain to climb but their first-half efforts at Old Trafford offer a sliver of hope – particularly the discomfort they caused United when pressing them high up the pitch. That said, Betis must deal better with United's threat on the wings and not allow their playmakers to dictate between the lines.

Steve Bates, Man United reporter
They may have a three-goal first-leg cushion heading to the Estadio Benito Villamarín but the message from Erik ten Hag and his players is clear: No complacency. United have never been a 'What we have we hold' team. They're considered one of Europe's most dangerous counterattacking sides, so Betis must be alert to contain the pace of Marcus Rashford, Jaden Sancho and Bruno Fernandes on the transition.

What the coaches say

Manuel Pellegrini, Real Betis coach: "You have to try from the first minute. If you don’t end up achieving what you want, that is not a failure. We are up against a Champions League-standard team with a budget six, seven or eight times the size of ours. If we don’t qualify, the onus is on us to show that was because we were up against a better team, not because we played badly at home."

Erik ten Hag, Man United coach: "It's definitely a dangerous game because Betis are a fantastic team. They finished top of their group and got a draw with Real Madrid. So we have to be really good and put in a good performance if we want to go through. It is always serious and we will play our best team. We have to put up a team that can adapt during the game. We know our opponent can, as they have really good players. We have to be ready to battle with them."

Where is the 2023 Europa League final?

POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Budapest's Puskás Aréna will host the final on 31 May 2023.

The winners gain a place in the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League group stage, if they have not qualified via their domestic competition.