Sampaoli wants quarterfinal spot as Sevilla birthday present

Sevilla coach Jorge Sampaoli turned 57 on Monday and he wants to celebrate by eliminating Leicester City in the Champions League last 16.

Published : Mar 14, 2017 02:16 IST

Jorge Sampooli has asked Sevilla to give him a Champions League quarterfinal spot as he celebrates his 57th birthday with a trip to Leicester City.

The Argentine has led Sevilla into a title challenge in LaLiga this season, where a triumph could match the Foxes' own league win of last season for surprise.

Sevilla won 2-1 in the first leg of the last-16 tie, but it ought to have been out of sight before Jamie Vardy pulled a goal back late at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.

That defeat for Leicester prompted Claudio Ranieri's sacking and it has since beaten Liverpool and Hull City 3-1 under Craig Shakespeare, with Sampaoli, 57 on Monday, wary of improving opposition.

Sampaoli said: "The greatest gift is to be among the best eight teams in the world. It's an historic opportunity for everyone.

"The Leicester that played at the Sanchez Pizjuan was a different one emotionally and in footballing terms. 

"But they showed with their performances against Liverpool and Hull, they are trying to prove that they are the Leicester that won the Premier League."

If Leicester can repeat the scoreline it has earned in its last two games at the King Power Stadium, it will advance to the last eight, but Adil Rami says Sevilla intend to put its host on the back foot.

Rami admitted: "It was a very important goal by Vardy. It has made it a little bit more tricky for us.

"But we are an offensive side and we always go out to score and it will be our intention to go out to try and score our away goal."

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