Monchengladbach vs Sevilla - Gladbach switch sights to Europa League ahead of Sevilla clash

Posted Wednesday, November 25, 2015 by PA

Borussia Monchengladbach have their sights set on securing a place in the Europa League in the spring as they prepare to host Sevilla on Wednesday, the penultimate game of their Champions League campaign.

The Foals can no longer catch either Manchester City or Juventus in Group D, meaning they are only playing for third place in their final two matches against Sevilla and City.

A win over the Spaniards at the Borussia Park Stadion on Wednesday would lift them off the bottom of the group and leave their destiny in their own hands, while it would also end Sevilla's faint hopes of catching the top two, and that is Gladbach's aim on Wednesday.

"Of course it's a shame that we cannot remain in the Champions League over the winter, but [qualifying for] the Europa League would nevertheless be a great thing for us," said Gladbach midfielder Granit Xhaka to bundesliga.de.

"That would be the dot on top of the 'I' and the reward for what we have achieved in the Champions League.

"I certainly want still to be playing in Europe in the spring and I'll give everything I've got for that in our remaining games against Sevilla and Manchester City."

Gladbach's debut campaign in the Champions League got off to one of the worst possible starts with a 3-0 defeat in Andalusia, and that has given them even more reason to seek all three points in the reverse fixture.

Furthermore, they lost home and away to Sevilla in the Europa League last season, on the Spaniards' route to the title.

"We've got a small, actually no - we've got a big score to settle with Sevilla," said Xhaka's compatriot and club-mate Yann Sommer. "We want to settle that now."

The Bundesliga side go into the game in fine form, having won seven and drawn one of their last eight Bundesliga matches.

Sevilla's form has been indifferent, with wins over Barcelona and Real Madrid intermingled with defeats to Villarreal and, at the weekend, Real Sociedad, leaving Unai Emery's men 11th in the Primera Division.

Emery welcomes Michael Krohn-Dehli back into his squad for the trip to Germany after he missed the defeat to Sociedad due to an injury he picked up while on international duty.

For Sevilla, victory would assure them of at least a place in the Europa League - the competition they have won in the past two seasons - heading into 2016.

If Juve fail to beat City in the group's other game this week, the Blanquirrojos would then be able to finish second in the group by beating the Italians at home in their final group fixture.