Franco Vázquez celebrates his goal against Standard

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TIME TO SEAL OUR QUALIFICATION AGAINST AN OPPONENT WHO KICKED IT ALL OFF

29/11/2018

Sevilla FC will be looking for the necessary point in Liège to qualify for the knock-out rounds against a Standard that has already been routed in Nervión

Football is ever changing and unpredictable. Going back not too far, only a couple of months, it was time to play the first group stage game against Standard Liège in Sevilla. It was no final, but it was a baptism of fire for a Sevilla that had just lost at home in La Liga to Getafe CF and who were twelfth in the league with four of the twelve available points. That rout against the Belgians was a breath of fresh air, but time has also shown that it was the spark which set off an incredible run of form. In fact, since then, La Liga's leaders have only lost against Krasnodar and Barcelona.

Beyond the joys of being top of the league however, we must now make sure that this fifth group stage game is the one which guarantees our qualification for the Round of 32. Although, no matter what happens in the Maurice Dufrasne, Pablo Machín's men cannot guarantee first spot nor be eliminated. In the best case scenario, they will qualify for the next rounds and would need a point at home against Krasnodar to top the group. This requires us to win tonight and the Russians not to beat Akhisar, or for us to draw against Standard and the Turkish side to win. The worst case scenario would be a defeat, but Sevilla would still have it in their own hands.

Sevilla FC only need one point to qualify. They cannot guarantee first spot or be eliminated today

Many Sevillans have travelled and the squad is missing the injured Jesús Navas and Gonalons, while Sergi Gómez, who has basically played the whole season, with only Vaclík playing more than him, remains in Sevilla due to his suspension. Joris Gnagnon replaces the Catalan, the only change in the squad that faced Valladolid last Sunday. The Belgians arrive knowing that a loss would eliminate them. Even a draw, should Krasnodar win, would be insufficient.

Standard's hopes lie in their improved domestic form, routing Eupen after the international break, moving Preud'homme's men back into the European spots. It should be reminded that the Maurice Dufrasne has not been a fruitful ground for Sevilla, who are making their third trip to the ground in the past ten years. They lost 1-0 the first time, while in 2014/15, the season of our fourth Europa League in Warsaw, they only managed a nil-nil draw.

This will be the third trip to Liège in a decade, with a record of one defeat, one draw, and no goals scored so far

The young German, Daniel Siebert, will referee the game, his first time managing Sevilla at this level. In 2016 he refereed the youth team's defeat in the UEFA Youth League in the Play Off round in Amsterdam, falling 3-1 to Ajax. In this season, he has refereed Spartak-Villarreal in the group stage, a game which finished three-three.