ÉVER BANEGA, THE KING OF PASSING IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

He has come alive in the Champions League and it's more than apparent in the statistics and although the lifeless figures aren't always accurate. they help to paint a broader picture of Sevilla's role in the competition so far. The Nervión side is currently third in the possession rankings out of the 16 teams that remain in the competition, only topped by the two, world-class teams Barcelona (63%) and Manchester City (61%). Hot on their tails is Vincenzo Montella's side with a possession stat of 59% whilst teams Bayern de Múnich (58%) and Real Madrid (57%) complete the top 5 in the category. 

Looking more closely at the stats,  they shine even more light on the role of one of Sevilla's key players in the Champions League...Éver Banega - the player with the most successful passes so far in the competition. The Argentinian, who also represents his national side, sits comfortably at the top of the leaderboard with 711 passes whilst second place, Sergio Busquets, trails behind with just 637 and Verrati (606) takes bronze. 

The stats cannot guarantee qualification, but alongside Wednesday's impressive performance against Manchester United, they are very much keeping the dream alive for the second leg at the Manchester Stadium aptly named the Theatre of Dreams.