Fresh off of a 7-0 defeat to Liverpool, Manchester United will need to regain focus quickly as the last 16 of the Europa League begins against Real Betis on Thursday. While United have already gotten past Barcelona, this will be another tough challenge for Erik ten Hag's side after Betis are coming off of a 0-0 draw against Real Madrid.
After ten Hag said that some of his players were unprofessional in the loss to Liverpool, fingers were pointed at Bruno Fernandes for his conduct where he appeared to quit on the team, but according to ten Hag, the team has put the saga behind them.
"We are in the same boat. We win together, we lose together, we [made] a mess on Sunday and we have to deal with it," ten Hag said. "We talked about it, we've seen it and set the right conclusions, then we have to reset and bounce back. We know in a season setbacks will always be there. It was a huge setback -- that's clear."
Now against Betis, Manchester United have a chance to turn that setback into a positive result.
Here's our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Thursday, Mar. 9 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Old Trafford -- Manchester, England
- Live stream: Paramount+
- Odds: Manchester United -280; Draw +370; Real Betis +700 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Storylines
Manchester United: Marcel Sabitzer and Casemiro will face late fitness tests due to knocks but Casemiro at least is expected to feature which will be a big boost to the midfield. Victor Lindelof could also miss the game due to injury while Anthony Martial is still unavailable for the Red Devils. Donny van de Beek and Christian Eriksen as the long-term absentees in the squad.
Real Betis: Suffering a massive loss in Nabil Fekir, Manuel Pelligrini will have quite a rethink as his team's talisman will be out for the remained of the season. A thin squad despite not having many other major injuries, they may look at free agents but that won't help the team against Manchester United. If Juanmi is fit to start, he'll be the most likely replacement but Betis will be happy to get out of this game with a draw to push the deciding leg to Spain.
Prediction
With home cooking, Manchester United will get off to a fast start and ride their home support to victory to pull out the first leg in a close affair. Pick: Manchester United 1, Real Betis 0
