This Thursday, the focus of the Europa League turns to the match between Granada and Manchester United. Granada's performance in the Europa League was excellent when they first started to play in the competition, but recently they lost three consecutive matches and conceded as many as 7 goals, so the situation is not optimistic. If they want to return to Europe next season, winning the championship seems to be the only way out. Currently, they are ranked ninth in La Liga, 10 points short of the European qualifying spot. They lost 0-3 at home to Villarreal in the last round, and recently lost to Molde and Valencia in a row. Their home form has helped them reach the quarterfinals, but they need to be wary of fluctuating away records, with only one draw and two losses in their last three matches out of four wins and three losses. They will need to establish a clear advantage in the first leg if they are to advance to the semifinals.
United, on the other hand, are aiming for the quarterfinals, which is their last hope of winning a trophy this season. The Premier League title is out of reach, and they were eliminated from the FA Cup by Leicester City, but they have only lost one of their recent 16 league and cup matches, and have been defeated by strong teams such as Liverpool, Manchester City and Milan. They finished third in the Champions League this season behind Paris Saint-Germain and Leipzig. Since moving to the Europa League, United have beaten Real Sociedad (ranked higher than Granada in La Liga) and Milan, conceding only one goal in four matches. In this matchup, United is expected to win the first leg.
