After having won one match and lost one in the Champions League each, both Sevilla and Manchester City are aware of their tough Group D clash at the Etihad stadium on Wednesday. Sevilla, who are just ahead on goal difference, are at second position compared to City's third.
The winner of the clash will move to the second place in the standings table. With Juventus as one of the strongest teams in the group, Sevilla and Manchester City are aware of the importance of this game, which could play an important role in deciding whether a team exits or moves forward to the next round.
Both the teams come to this crucial fixture with contrasting positions in the English Premier League and the La Liga. Manchester City have been in amazing form in their domestic competition in England as they are at top of the table with seven wins from nine games while Sevilla have been below par with two wins from eight games.
Though the Spanish side have not produced positive results, Sevilla, who defeated Barcelona before the international break, are not going to be a pushover for the EPL giants. Even Manchester City manager, Manuel Pellegrini, is aware of the tough task against Sevilla, who will have a spring in their stride after their win over Barcelona.
"Maybe everyone thought that Sevilla would be better in the Spanish League at this moment. Maybe they didn't start well but they beat Barcelona so it's not easy. I spoke with the players this morning, we are sure we will play against the real Sevilla tomorrow – it's different to the domestic league," Pellegrini told reporters.
Sevilla won the Europa League last season, which explains their strength, though they lost some key players such as Carlos Bacca in the summer. However, on paper, Manchester does appear stronger of the two squads with players such as Raheem Sterling, Yaya Toure, Vincent Kompany amongst others.
City, who have pace upfront in the form of Sterling, among other players, will use them, including Navas, when they have possession of the ball, for they can create havoc amongst the defenders with their electrifying pace. Sevilla manager, Unai Emery, is aware of the pace battery.
"We know that City have some speedy players who can hurt so we need to control that speed and those players," said Emery.
Emery is aware of Manchester City being a super strong side at home and says he will be a happy person even if they manage to take a point from Etihad.
"We want to give a positive account of ourselves," added Emery
"We must be intense in our game - we've done OK in this group so far so this game is key for us – whoever wins or loses is in a different place.
"Maybe a draw is even a positive result for us – we'll go all out to win but a draw may be a positive result."
Both the teams are going to miss some key players on Wednesday; City will be without Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Samir Nasri. Gael Kakuta, Sergio Escudero and Daniel Carrico will be spectators during the match as they are not in the team due to their injuries.
Where to watch live
Manchester City vs Sevilla is scheduled for 7:45pm local time (12:15am IST, 8:45pm CET, 2.45pm ET) start. Ten HD will broadcast the match live in India, while the live streaming is available on Ten Sports Live.
Viewers in the UK can watch Manchester City vs Sevilla on BT Sport2, with live streaming on Watch BT Sport or by downloading the BT Sport App.
US viewers have the luxury of watching the Manchester City vs Sevilla on Fox Sports with the live stream option on FoxSoccer2Go.
