Sevilla and Deportivo Alaves are separated by a solitary point ahead of their crucial La Liga showdown at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium on Friday evening.
With 19 matches in the books, Sevilla find themselves one point outside the relegation zone, with Alaves sitting just ahead of Quique Sanchez Flores’ side.
2⃣ días para el #SevillaFCAlavés #LALIGAEASPORTS | #GoazenGlorioso ⚪️🔵 pic.twitter.com/lNR6f8N5ZY— Deportivo Alavés (@Alaves) January 10, 2024
2⃣ días para el #SevillaFCAlavés #LALIGAEASPORTS | #GoazenGlorioso ⚪️🔵 pic.twitter.com/lNR6f8N5ZY
Given that fellow strugglers Celta Vigo, Cadiz and Granada have all picked up positive results in recent weeks, Sevilla and Alaves will both be eager to follow suit.
Last time out, Sevilla claimed a narrow 2-1 victory over Racing Ferrol in the Copa del Rey, with Juanlu Sanchez scoring the winning goal in the 87th minute.
In La Liga, however, Flores’ men have lost four of their previous five games, failing to find the back of the net in each of those defeats.
Worse still, the Andalusia outfit have managed to win just one of their last 13 league clashes, taking nine points from a possible 39 during that period.
Having claimed only six victories in their previous 36 games across all competitions, Sevilla must turn things around before it’s too late.
Deportivo Alaves also booked their place in the last 16 of the Copa del Rey last time out, notching a 1-0 victory over Sevilla’s arch-rivals Real Betis.
That win extended Alaves’ unbeaten streak to two matches, with a 1-1 draw against Real Sociedad preceding Saturday’s cup triumph.
Still, it is worth noting that Alaves have failed to win any of their last five La Liga matches, recording two draws and three losses while scoring a solitary goal.
Having won only two of their previous 18 away outings across all competitions, Luis Garcia’s men will be desperate to discover some form on the road.
Head-to-head: In the reverse fixture back in August, Deportivo Alaves claimed a dramatic 4-3 victory over Sevilla, with Kike Garcia bagging a brace.
Prior to that clash, Alaves had failed to defeat Sevilla in 10 meetings across all competitions, recording four draws and six losses in the process.
Team news: Sevilla are currently without key players Mariano Diaz, Erik Lamela, Dodi Lukebakio, Jesus Navas and Orjan Nyland due to injury.
As for Alaves, they look set to be without Aleksandar Sedlar for the foreseeable future as the Serbian defender continues to recover from an injury setback.
With so much at stake on Friday night, Sevilla and Alaves look set to produce a tense and cagey encounter in Andalusia.
Forebet predicts that Sevilla and Alaves will play out a low-scoring draw at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium, with both teams netting under 1.5 goals.