Real Madrid will be looking to extend their lead at the summit of the La Liga table when they entertain struggling Sevilla at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday.
Thanks to Los Blancos’ consistency and Girona’s recent slump, a six-point gap has emerged between the top two in the division.
At the opposite end of the standings, Sevilla find themselves seven points outside the relegation zone, having won just five of their 25 league games this season.
🔛🌱▶️#RMCity pic.twitter.com/M3bdEUe48Z— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) February 23, 2024
🔛🌱▶️#RMCity pic.twitter.com/M3bdEUe48Z
Real Madrid were held to a 1-1 draw by Rayo Vallecano last weekend, with Joselu scoring in the third minute before Dani Carvajal’s injury-time red card.
That draw extended Los Blancos’ unbeaten streak in La Liga to 19 matches, with 14 wins and five draws coming since their last loss.
Trends show that Carlo Ancelotti’s side have been immense at the Bernabeu this season, recording 10 wins and two draws in 12 home league games.
Not only have Real Madrid scored 30 goals in their 12 home league clashes (2.5 goals per game), but they have also kept six clean sheets for good measure.
On the other hand, Sevilla can count themselves fortunate to have drawn 0-0 with Valencia last weekend after managing a solitary shot at the Mestalla.
Still, the Andalusia outfit can take confidence from their recent upturn, as they have picked up two wins and two draws in their previous four La Liga matches.
It is worth remembering, however, that Sevilla have won just two of their 12 away league outings this season, losing four of their previous seven.
Having won only three of their last 19 La Liga encounters, Sevilla remain in danger of relegation as we head towards the business end of the campaign.
Head-to-head: Sevilla’s last league victory over Real Madrid came back in 2018. Since then, Los Blancos have won eight of the 10 meetings.
Given that six of the previous eight La Liga meetings between the teams have produced over 2.5 goals, Sunday’s clash looks set to be a high-scoring affair.
Team news: Jude Bellingham, David Alaba, Thibaut Courtois, Antonio Rudiger and Eder Militao are injured for the hosts, while Eduardo Camavinga and Carvajal are suspended.
Sevilla also have multiple injury absentees, with Marcos Acuna, Lucien Agoume, Mariano Diaz, Nemanja Gudelj, Erik Lamela, Dodi Lukebakio, Marcao and Tanguy Nianzou all sidelined.
With a whopping 38 points between the two sides in the table, Real Madrid look destined to extend their hot streak this weekend.
Forebet's algorithm predicts that Real Madrid and Sevilla will combine for over 4.5, with the hosts outscoring the visitors.