Features
THU 16.04.2015
It's a tricky road ahead for UEFA Europa League holders Sevilla FC in their quest to reach the final of the competition in Warsaw. Unai Emery’s team take on FC Zenit in the quarter-finals, a side they have faced four times before, on each occasion in the former UEFA Cup. Those clashes saw los hispalenses come away with a tally of one win, two draws and one defeat.
A track record to instil confidence
Emery’s men have a past record against Russian opposition in European competition that gives them cause for confidence. At the Sánchez Pizjuán against teams from the country, Sevilla have picked up three victories, no draws and one loss, while Zenit have won just two of their 14 match-ups with Liga BBVA clubs.
In their previous meetings with Zenit, los hispalenses have come away with one win, two draws and one defeat
What’s more, every time that the side from Seville have reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League, they have gone on to lift the trophy. On one of those occasions, in the 2005/06 season, they crossed swords with Zenit in the last eight, the Spaniards coming out on top on their way to winning the tournament.
Familiar faces back at the Pizjuán
André Villas-Boas’ Zenit have three players who have spent time in the Liga BBVA and know Sevilla down to the ground in Ezequiel Garay, Javi García and Salomón Rondón. Between them, the trio have a total of 216 appearances in the Spanish top flight, and both the Argentine and the Venezuelan know how it feels to score against the Andalusian outfit.
Every time Sevilla have reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League, they have gone on to lift the trophy.
Aleksandr Kerzhakov makes his return with the Russians to the stadium he called home for two years, seasons in which he won a UEFA Cup, a European Super Cup, a Copa del Rey and a Spanish Super Cup. Alongside Kerzhakov, Viacheslav Malaféyev and Andréi Arshavin are survivors from the Saint Petersburg club’s last tie against Sevilla.
© LALIGA - 2015