Real Betis star reveals the surprising reaction of the squad when they were drawn against Man Utd

Real Betis’ Andres Guardado revealed the La Liga team’s surprise reaction after drawing Manchester United in the Europa League.

Erik ten Hag’s side will be looking to bounce back from Sunday’s harrowing 7-0 defeat to Liverpool when they take on Betis in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 clash.

The Old Trafford club were on an 11-game unbeaten run and fresh from having claimed the Carabao Cup, their first trophy in six years, before the stunning Liverpool drubbing.

Indeed, Jurgen Klopp's men ran riot at Anfield, inflicting United their heaviest defeat since Boxing Day 1931.

Ten Hag slated his side after the game, insisting that they failed to “fulfil their jobs” and “stick together” during the Liverpool capitulation.

United now turn their attention to Betis, a side sitting fifth in La Liga, having just claimed a goalless draw against reigning Champions League holders Real Madrid.

Betis’ reaction to Man Utd draw

Speaking to Marca, Guardado claimed Betis were revelling the opportunity to take on United, despite it having been the “most difficult” draw.

The Mexico international said: “Make very few mistakes. They are big teams and when you play against them, you have to make few mistakes, and the perfect thing is to be very successful up front, that you make the most of opportunities that you can create.

“But the squad, when the fixture came out, did not feel a feeling of ‘uff, it’s Manchester’.

“Yes, we had the most difficult one, but we all feel it as a challenge that excites us a lot, we all really want to go play there.

"In the end, sooner or later, you were going to find rivals like that in a high-level Europa League.

“If we want to win it, we have to go through and play against them. It’s a very nice challenge, very exciting and I have no doubts that we will be up to it. Hopefully, we can keep moving forward.”

Guardado added: “We trust in our chances, we trust in what we have, respecting and knowing that we have a monster like Manchester United in front of us, especially at the moment they are going through now.

“Maybe at the beginning of the season, they were not so good, but we have to face the best Manchester of the last two years and we are going to fight them like against any other rival.”