Deportivo Alavés of the Segunda Division will meet with Sevilla of La Liga in the Copa del Rey this Tuesday evening with the two sides actually only separated by a handful of places in the Spanish football pyramid after a terrible campaign for the La Liga outfit.
Alongside Sporting Gijon, AD Ceuta and Levante, Alaves remain one of just four teams left in this competition not from the top flight.
Looking ahead to the #CopaDelRey 🏆 pic.twitter.com/x73TSeOetb— Sevilla FC (@SevillaFC_ENG) January 15, 2023
Looking ahead to the #CopaDelRey 🏆 pic.twitter.com/x73TSeOetb
In La Liga, however, Sevilla see themselves still inside the relegation zone after 17 games in what is turning out to be their worst season in La Liga in 23 years when they were last relegated from the first division by finishing 20th in 1999/2000.
In fact, Sevilla have managed to finish inside the top 10 ever since winning promotion back into La Liga all them years ago and even finished fourth for the past three seasons in a row. Now, however, they have two points to make up on Real Valladolid in La Liga after another loss to Girona.
Sevilla haven't been terrible since action resumed in Spain after the World Cup, as they beat Juventud Torremolinos in the Copa del Rey second round, before drawing 1-1 with Celta Vigo.
Jorge Sampaoli's men then smashed Linares Deportivo 5-0 in the round of 32 of the Copa del Rey before their first league win in months against Getafe.
Sampaoli's side now sit with just three wins in the league and have scored 17 times and let in 26 goals. What's more, they have lost eight times now and relegation is looking very likely unless the former Marseille boss can turn things around rapidly.
In fact, with Alaves sitting down in fifth, only eight places keep these two apart in the Spanish football pyramid and the clubs could easily end up switching places next season. On the other hand, Alaves have let their grip on first slip in the Segunda Division.
The club were top a few weeks back, but following on from losses to Oviedo, Levante, Granada, Malaga and Tenerife since the start of December, they now sit fifth.
On the other hand, the fifth-placed side still have just a six-point gap on Eibar in first and have won 10 times in the second tier already.
The Copa del Rey run for Alaves has been fairly easy, but they did beat Valladolid last time out in the round of 32 thanks to a winner from Mamadou Sylla at the start of the month.
Forebet predicts a draw and for the game to see under 2.5 goals.