Manchester United's relentless run of April fixtures continues at home to Sevilla in the Europa League this evening, with the Red Devils hoping for revenge having been dumped out by the La Liga outfit in the last four of the same competition back in 2020.
Ahead of this quarter-final, first-leg clash at Old Trafford, manager Erik ten Hag has received some mixed team news with both Marcus Rashford and Scott McTominay out of action through injury, while both Luke Shaw and Alejandro Garnacho also remained sidelined.
On a more positive note, however, the Dutchman will also be able to call upon influential Brazilian, Casemiro, with the 31-year-old having been absent of late after serving a four-game domestic suspension, while fellow midfielder Christian Eriksen is also in contention to start, having returned from his lengthy injury lay-off against Everton at the weekend.
With United having been without the Danish playmaker since January, it will be a real boost to welcome the summer arrival back into the fold for the end-of-season run-in, with the 31-year-old having chipped in with two goals and nine assists in 32 games in all competitions this term.
While there may be a clamour to see the former Tottenham Hotspur and Brentford man returning to the starting lineup, it may not be particularly wise to rush the experienced ace back in too quickly, while the presence of loan signing Marcel Sabitzer has also ensured that a starting berth is no longer a mere formality for Eriksen.
Will Sabitzer start vs Sevilla?
It does appear that the on-loan Bayern Munich man is truly beginning to settle in his temporary home, with it looking as if the 29-year-old is doing all he can to secure a permanent deal at Old Trafford, amid reports that "talks" regarding a long-term stay at the club could be in the works.
Having scored his first goal for the Red Devils in the FA Cup triumph of Fulham prior to the international break, the 69-cap menace has continued that momentum since returning to club duty, notably providing a clever, headed assist for talisman Rashford in the 1-0 win over the Bees last week.
While the former RB Leipzig ace was not able to add to his tally of goal involvements against the Toffees last time out, the £13m-rated ace truly shone in his creative midfield berth, having been something of a "pressing machine", according to journalist Rob Blanchette.
With Bruno Fernandes dropping into a deep-lying role, the onus was on Sabitzer to lead the midfield charge alongside lone striker Rashford, with the winter arrival more than making his mark having 'thrived in an advanced role once again', according to Manchester Evening News journalist Samuel Luckhurst.
The 5 foot 10 man's most notable contribution came in the second half as he teed up midfield colleague Fernandes with a delightful, dinked pass, while the one-time Rapid Wien ace was also a real 'goal threat', according to Luckhurst.
The all-action star truly 'worked his socks off' – as per 90min's Graeme Bailey – with that high-energy and front-foot approach having seemingly helped to breathe new life into Ten Hag's side, after something of a lull either side of the international break.
With Sabitzer looking "increasingly comfortable" in that partnership with Fernandes, as per Blanchette, it may be unwise to unsettle that combination by rushing back Eriksen later today.