The 3rd fixture of the weekend to take place in the Spanish La Liga is between Real Madrid and Sevilla. The game will be played at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu and features two teams currently in the top four of the Spanish League.
Real Madrid come into this match on 40 points which sees them level with Barcelona at the top of the table. Sevilla are just 5 points adrift of the leaders and level on points with 3rd place Atletico Madrid so this is the massive game in terms of the title race is season.
Real Madrid have returned from playing in the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia with the trophy. They defeated Valencia 3-1 in the semi-final and beat local rivals Atletico Madrid on penalties in the final with the match having finished 0-0. Those results mean Real Madrid are undefeated in their last 16 games in all competitions.
However, Real Madrid have won only one of their last 4 La Liga games which was a 3-0 victory at Getafe last time out. Prior to that, Real Madrid were held to 3 successive draws against Valencia and Barcelona away plus Athletic Club at home. Trends show Real Madrid have won 6 of their last 8 home league matches and drawn the other 2 games.
They have scored 2 or more goals in 9 of their 11 most recent home games in all competitions and kept 4 clean sheets in their last 5 home La Liga matches.
Sevilla last played a competitive match in the Copa Del Rey on the 12th of January and came away from Escobedo with a comfortable 5-0 victory. That result means Sevilla are undefeated in their last 4 games in all competitions but two of those have been against lower league opposition in the cup.
In La Liga, trends show Sevilla have lost only one of their last 11 matches, winning 6 of those games. They are undefeated in their last 5 La Liga games away from home including victories at Real Betis, Real Valladolid and Mallorca. Sevilla have also picked up a point at Valencia and Osasuna.
Sevilla have scored goals in each of their last 5 away League matches and in 10 of their last 11 on the road. However, they have kept only 2 clean sheets in their last 7 away La Liga games.
Looking ahead to the team news and Real Madrid are without the injured duo of Eden Hazard and Marco Asensio. They also have doubts over the fitness of Sergio Ramos and Karim Benzema.
Sevilla are without Lucas Ariel Ocampos who is suspended for this game. Joan Jordan is doubtful due to a head injury but Sergio Escudero could be fit following an eye problem.
This should be a hugely entertaining game which sees both teams scoring goals. However, Real Madrid are on a strong unbeaten run and that looks set to continue by winning this match, possibly 3-1 or 3-2.