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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
George Smith

'Tears in my eyes!' - Manchester United fans love Erik ten Hag selection decision vs Real Betis

Erik ten Hag has named his starting line-up for the second leg of Manchester United's Europa League last-16 showdown with Real Betis at the Benito Villamarin Stadium this evening, making a handful of changes.

United, who faced Betis in a friendly in this stadium during the World Cup break back in December, will be looking to book their place in the quarter-finals of the competition after winning last week's first-leg 4-1 at Old Trafford. After Ayoze Perez had cancelled out Marcus Rashford's first-half opener, the Reds rallied in the second half and secured a comfortable victory.

It means that Ten Hag will be determined to see his side finish the job without any unwanted hiccups and get back to winning ways after Sunday's goalless draw against Southampton in the Premier League. The Dutchman, as expected, has opted to make a handful of changes to the side that drew with the Saints, making four in total.

READ MORE: Real Betis vs United LIVE

Harry Maguire, Tyrell Malacia, Facundo Pellistri, who earns his full debut for the club, and Fred have come into the side, meaning Raphael Varane, Luke Shaw, Jadon Sancho and Antony have dropped out.

Meanwhile, the likes of Diogo Dalot, Victor Lindelof and Marcel Sabitzer have been named among the substitutes. However, Christian Eriksen, Anthony Martial and Antony are among those who are unavailable.

Having made the decision to make four changes to the side that drew with Southampton, Ten Hag will be keen to see his side get back to winning ways, as they look to keep their hopes of securing a famous treble this season alive. It is the inclusion of Pellistri in the starting line-up that has attracted the most attention from United's supporters in the immediate aftermath of the team news being confirmed.

Below, MEN Sport has taken a close look at what some of United's supporters have had to say in response to Ten Hag's decision to hand the Uruguayan his first start for the club:

As you can see from the messages displayed in the tweets above, Ten Hag's decision to hand Pellistri his first start for the club has gone down a treat. The fans have been determined to see him earn his first starting berth after some impressive cameo appearances in recent weeks.

United starting line-up: De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Maguire, Martinez, Malacia; Casemiro, Fred, Fernandes; Pellistri, Weghorst, Rashford.

Substitutes: Heaton, Butland, Dalot, Lindelof, Varane, Shaw, Sabitzer, McTominay, Elanga, Sancho.

This evening's contest kicks off at 5:45pm GMT and you can follow all of the action on our live matchday blog, which you can access by clicking here.

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