The Seville plays it in Salzburg

Sevilla are gambling their future in the Champions League at the Red Bull Salzburg stadium, which they are forced to win to go to the round of 16 because of the irregular group stage that he has signed and that led Julen Lopetegui’s team to have to win in the last two days.

The first ‘match ball’ against Wolfsburg saved him with a 2-0 at Sánchez Pizjuán And now it must close this first phase with another triumph in Austrian lands if it does not want to say goodbye to a competition that began crooked precisely with the visit of Salzburg to Nervión, a game with four designated penalties, three of them in Bono’s goal. Incredibly, that meeting ended with a 1-1 that marked the irregularity of the Andalusians in the group.

The duel, in addition, will have the particularity that it will not have an audience in the stands due to the restrictions that prevail in the Central European country on anti-Covid matters. A priori it will be an advantage for Lopetegui’s men in this decisive group duel in which the Austrians, seconds behind Lille, are worth a draw.

The funny thing is that the four teams in the group go to the last day with the possibility of qualifying for eighths and also to be eliminated depending on what happens in the Red Bull Arena and in the game between Wolfsburg and Lille. In fact, Sevilla could be first in the group if the French, current leaders, lose in Germany, as long as Lopetegui’s men add up to three points.

The Andalusians, after three draws and a loss at home against Lille, also play it at the worst moment of the season in terms of injuries. Lopetegui does not have five important players available in his squad, Jesús Navas, En-Nesyri, Lamela, Suso and AcuñaHe was the last to fall when he injured his hamstrings in the last game against Villarreal, so the Swedish international Augustinsson will play on the left side. What’s more, Nor can Lopetegui count on Gudelj and Idrissi, who are not registered in the Champions. This has forced him to move six homegrown players to Austrian lands.

The Salzburg, with the young forward Adeyemi, wanted by Barcelona, ​​as a great star, has gone through a bad time so that he closed this weekend winning again in his league, of the one who is its great dominator. Passing would make them the first Austrian team to go to the round of 16. His coach, the German Mathias Jeissle, has the doubt of Noah Okator in the attack, while in the rear he will not be able to count on the ex sevillista Max Wöber, apart from the Austrian international Zunuzovic.