The last 16 of the UEFA Europa League gets underway this week. On Thursday, Sevilla and West Ham United go head-to-head at the Roman Sanchez Pizjuan.
The Hammers secured a direct passage to the round of 16 after winning their Europa League group, finishing three points clear of Dinamo Zagreb in Group H.
▶ Getting ready for our #UEL clash with West Ham! 💪 pic.twitter.com/FPr8yRdp8q— Sevilla FC (@SevillaFC_ENG) March 7, 2022
▶ Getting ready for our #UEL clash with West Ham! 💪 pic.twitter.com/FPr8yRdp8q
Funnily enough, Sevilla were drawn against Dinamo Zagreb in the play-off round after finishing third in their Champions League group.
The Spaniards claimed a 3-1 win over the Croatians in the first leg. Despite losing the second leg 1-0, they advanced thanks to a 3-2 aggregate victory.
Although Sevilla’s Champions League campaign did not go to plan, their performances in La Liga have been hugely impressive this season.
Having lost just two of their 27 league games, they find themselves second in La Liga – eight points behind Real Madrid.
It is also worth noting that Sevilla boast the best defensive record in the Spanish top flight, having conceded just 18 goals this term.
On the flip side, West Ham lost just one of their six group games – picking up four wins and one draw along the way.
David Moyes’ men did the double over Rapid Vienna and took four points from a possible six off Genk. Although they lost to Zagreb on Matchday 6, they had already beaten them on Matchday 1.
In the Premier League, the Hammers were beaten 1-0 by Liverpool on Saturday – despite racking up 13 shots at Anfield.
As a result, they have recorded 13 wins, six draw and nine losses in the Premier League this season, keeping them in the hunt for a top-four finish.
Head-to-head: This is the very first meeting between Sevilla and West Ham, meaning we have no previous results to assess for this matchup.
Team news: Sevilla will be without the injured duo of Suso (ankle) and Anthony Martial (muscle) for the first leg.
West Ham, on the other hand, are currently without Angelo Ogbonna, Vladimir Coufal and Andriy Yarmolenko. Declan Rice and Jarrod Bowen are also doubts.
This is destined to be a fierce battle between two of the strongest teams in the competition, meaning we should see plenty of action at both ends of the pitch.
With that in mind, Forebet predicts that Sevilla and West Ham will play out a high-scoring draw on Thursday.