As far as Champions League draws go, Arsenal didn’t fare horrendously when theirs was made. A group of Lens, PSV and Sevilla was certainly not the worst an English team was handed. Chalk that one up to Newcastle United’s group of death accompaniment of AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain.
But still there is one tie that stands out in the Gunners’ fixture list. Sevilla have made an artform out of disappointing hopeful Premier League opposition. Their record-seven Europa League titles show a team adept at overcoming continental odds. While their record in the Champions League isn’t as glowing, this is still a club that has sprung some major European shocks. Arsenal fans might want to look away now.
Manchester United know the dangers that Sevilla pose more than most. The La Liga side knocked them out at the round of 16 stage of the 2017/18 Champions League. When the Europa League was adapted to a single-game knockout format during COVID-19, Sevilla knocked United out of that too. The Rojiblancos beat the Red Devils 2-1 in the semi-final of the competition, on their way to another title. The Spanish side beat Inter Milan in the final. Piling the misery on the great and the good of the Premier League, Sevilla had already beaten Wolverhampton Wanderers in the quarter-finals.
Bringing matters up to date, Sevilla also eliminated United from the competition last year. Th victory came in the quarter-finals this time. Despite going 2-0 down in the first leg, they pulled it back to 2-2 through late own goals from Tyrell Malacia and Harry Maguire. After winning the second leg 3-0 they then went on to win the whole thing once more, beating Jose Mourinho’s Roma in the final.
United are far from the only English side to have suffered at Sevilla’s hand. Their arch-rivals Liverpool reached the Europa League final in Jurgen Klopp’s first season in charge. A perfect opportunity for the German to put his stamp on the Merseyside club. But if there’s one thing Sevilla like to stamp on, it’s the hopes and dreams of the Premier League’s best and brightest. Daniel Sturridge’s opener was cancelled out by a brace from Coke and a goal from Kevin Gameiro. A routine win for a club who relish this competition like no other.
The fairytale run of Middlesbrough in 2005/06 took them all the way to the UEFA Cup final, the precursor to the modern Europa League. It was a glorious time in the club’s history, a season that would lead to manager Steve McClaren being appointed England manager in the summer. But as you’ve probably worked out by now, Sevilla don’t do sentiment. A brace from current Leicester City manager Enzo Maresca plus goals from Frederic Kanoute and Luis Fabiano ended the dream with a savage 4-0 victory.
Sevilla dumped Tottenham Hotspur out at the quarter-finals stage the following year. As much as that will have amused Arsenal fans at the time, Sevilla’s reputation as a Premier League bogey team now comes to haunt them. But Sevilla are not invincible. Some English sides have found a way through the Europa League-hoovering machine to victory.
Leicester City’s tremendous Champions League run is almost underrated, considering the long shadow cast by their Premier League title win the season before. Having sacked the catalyst of that triumph, manager Claudio Ranieri, the Foxes replaced him with first-time boss Craig Shakespeare. And it worked. A worrying Premier League start was addressed at least well enough to steer them into 12th place. But it was in the Champions League where they truly excelled.
The Foxes met Sevilla in the round of 16 of the competition. A 2-1 loss in Seville didn’t bode well, though Jamie Vardy’s consolation goal would prove utterly crucial. Wes Morgan and Marc Albrighton netted a pair of unanswered goals back at the King Power Stadium, sending Leicester through to the quarter-finals. They would lose there to Atletico Madrid, but a memorable Champions League odyssey deservedly entered the history books. The rare scalp of Sevilla made it all the more special.
West Ham United know that special feeling too. Like Leicester, they were beaten by the La Liga side in the away leg of their 2021/22 round of 16 Europa League tie. And like the Foxes, they rallied at home. The London Stadium rocked as Tomas Soucek took the game to extra time. Then Andriy Yarmolenko was the hero with an extra-time winner to send West Ham through. They would eventually fall in the semi-finals to Eintracht Frankfurt, but what a ride.
While Arsenal can take heart from the Leicesters and West Hams of this world, they are still up against it. Sevilla know what they’re doing against Premier League teams. While them being drawn with Arsenal didn’t jump out as much as Newcastle’s group of death or Manchester United being paired with Bayern Munich, it’s still an incredibly tricky tie.
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