Barcelona and Stuttgart drew 1-1 in their Champions League last 16 1st leg – see the 2nd leg betting from the Nou Camp here.

Sevilla president Jose Maria Del Nido backed Manolo Jimenez following the club’s Champions League elimination, insisting the coach’s immediate future at the club is safe.

Sevilla saw their hopes of a first Champions League quarter-final spot ended by a 2-1 home defeat to CSKA Moscow on Tuesday.

“We already know how it can be on the terraces and in difficult times you need someone to blame,” Del Nido said on Spanish television. “A section of the fans chose Jimenez, but he will continue until the end of the season because he has a contract and because he has our trust. There is no debate about him amongst the board.”

Del Nido admitted CSKA were better than Sevilla on the night and deserved to go through.

“They scored more goals and in football the goal is king,” he said. “We were too tense after the Russians’ second goal and we couldn’t turn around the 2-1 deficit. Sevilla now have to try to obtain third or fourth place (in La Liga) and play a good final in the Copa del Rey and try to win it.”

Goalkeeper Andres Palop, meanwhile, has apologised to the club’s supporters after his blunder from Keisuke Honda’s long-range free-kick helped CSKA to progress.

“I feel obliged to say sorry,” he told AS. “When there are so many people with such high hopes, I have to apologise.

“This was a very important day and I’ve let them down, and for this I apologise a thousand times. It was a powerful free-kick, but that’s no excuse.”

Barcelona and Stuttgart drew 1-1 in their Champions League last 16 1st leg – see the 2nd leg betting from the Nou Camp here.

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