On Sunday Sevilla face a stiff test of their resolve in La Liga, as they visit the Mestalla the home of in-form Valencia.
Sevilla are battling it out with Atletico Madrid for the third automatic Champions League spot in La Liga while keeping one eye on fifth-place Villarreal too.
The battle for third-place is very tight, as Atletico are ahead of the Andalucian’s by just a point. However, Diego Simeone’s side face struggling Osasuna at home on Saturday evening, so the gap could be stretched to four points by the time this game kicks off.
With that in mind, the visitors cannot afford to slip-up against Valencia. However, Los Ches have found form of late, while Sevilla’s form has stalled of late. One win from their last six league games has seen Jorge Sampaoli’s side fall out of the title race.
They now have to cement their place in the top four of La Liga. There were signs of form returning last time out, as they recorded a 4-2 home win over Deportivo La Coruna.
However, any improvement in form could be derailed by a Valencia side that has recorded three straight wins in La Liga and five wins in their last six league outings at the Mestalla.
Any lingering relegation fears have not disappeared, as Los Ches are now 17 points clear of the drop zone in La Liga in 12th position. Recent meetings between the two teams have been tight and this game looks set to follow the same pattern.
Valencia have a very good all-time home record against the visitors in La Liga, winning 52 of the 71 league meetings at the old and new Mestalla. Sevilla have picked up just 11 wins in those meetings.
However, Forebet predicts that Sevilla will make it 12 wins from 72 La Liga visits to the Mestalla and cement their place in the top four.