Manchester United are set to take on Real Betis at Old Trafford in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie on Thursday, looking to bounce back from their crushing defeat at the hands of Liverpool. The Red Devils had recently ended their trophy drought and progressed past Barcelona in the knockout round playoffs, but Sunday’s defeat has left them 14 points behind league leaders Arsenal, with some already ruling them out of the title race.

Nevertheless, United will be hoping to respond immediately in continental action and continue their unbeaten run at Old Trafford, where they have scored at least twice in 14 successive games. While Real Betis topped Group C with wins over Roma, HJK Helsinki and Ludogorets, United will be buoyed by their deserved victory over Barcelona in the previous round.

The defeat to Liverpool will still be fresh in the memory, but United have shown resilience in the face of adversity before and will be determined to put in a strong performance against Real Betis. They will need to be at their best to progress to the next round of the Europa League, but with the support of their fans, anything is possible.