Sevilla will play hosts to Real Sociedad at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium after crashing out of the Europa League to West Ham United and all attention for Julen Lopetegui’s men now falls on their hopes of staying second in La Liga.
Despite getting knocked out of a competition they so often win, it has still been an incredible season for Sevilla who are sitting second just off Real Madrid and aiming for their best season in La Liga since second way back in the late 1950s.
🗣️ Julen Lopetegui, tras la eliminación en Londres: "Hemos tratado de competir y dado la cara en muchos momentos del partido". #WeareSevilla #UEL— Sevilla Fútbol Club (@SevillaFC) March 17, 2022
🗣️ Julen Lopetegui, tras la eliminación en Londres: "Hemos tratado de competir y dado la cara en muchos momentos del partido". #WeareSevilla #UEL
The club have finished third twice this century, but things are very much different for them right now.
In the Europa League, though, West Ham would beat them 2-0 on the night to cancel out their 1-0 aggregate lead ahead of the game at the London Stadium, and combined with their 1-1 draw against Rayo Vallecano last weekend, it now means Sevilla have won just two games in their past five.
Lopetegui’s side lost 1-0 to Dinamo Zagreb in the second leg of their Europa League play-off back in late February, but a fantastic win in a top four battle against Real Betis saw them return to winning ways before back-to-back draws in La Liga.
In Spain, the club have been excellent all campaign long and have in fact, like Madrid, only lost twice this season.
However, 11 draws and only 15 wins from 28 games has now created a 10-point gap on the league leaders, and with Barcelona right behind them by four points and a game in hand, it's vital Sevilla win here.
At the same time, Jesus Navas and co. have a league-low of 19 goals conceded in the league, which only Manchester City can beat across Europe’s top five leagues with their 18 goals let in in the Premier League.
It does make goals hard to come by against them, but with a Sociedad side boasting the attacking forces of Mikel Oyarzabal and Alexander Isak who have a combined worth of 19 goals this season, there is a chance the club can get a result here.
At the same time, Sociedad have seen themselves drop into sixth after a poor run in 2022 and they have now got into a position where they've scored only 29 goals and let in 29 too in a very up-and-down campaign for them.
Sevilla look too strong in La Liga right now, and Forebet predicts a win for them here in a game that sees over 2.5 goals.