Sevilla will be looking to end a five-game winless run in La Liga when they resume their 2022-23 campaign away to Celta Vigo on Friday night.
A poor start to the season has left Sevilla in 18th position in the table, while Celta have also struggled for results this term, sitting 17th in Spain's top flight, one point above their opponents here.
Match preview
© Reuters
Only basement side Elche (10) have lost more La Liga matches than Celta (eight) this season, with the Sky Blues picking up just 12 points from their opening 14 matches of the campaign to sit down in 17th in the table.
Celta have finished eighth and 11th in their last two La Liga seasons, but they were 17th in back-to-back campaigns in 2018-19 and 2019-20, and it does appear that it could be another tough season for the club.
The Vigo outfit are now under the management of Carlos Carvalhal, who took charge at the start of November, and he boasts a record of two wins, one draw and one defeat from four matches.
Celta drew 0-0 with Rayo Vallecano in their last league game on November 10, but they have not been victorious in Spain's top flight since a 1-0 success over Real Betis at the start of October.
The Copa del Rey has been a welcome distraction for the club, winning twice in the competition since their last league match, beating Algar 6-1 on November 13 and Gernika 3-0 on December 22.
© Reuters
Sevilla, meanwhile, have had a disastrous start to the season, only picking up 11 points from 14 matches, which has left them down in 18th position in the table.
Los Nervionenses have finished fourth in each of their last three La Liga campaigns, while they have not been in the bottom half of Spain's top flight since being relegated to the Segunda Division in 20th back in 1999-2000.
Sevilla will believe that they have more than enough quality to climb the table in the coming weeks, but the team are already 13 points off the top four and also 13 behind the top six, so a campaign without European football is a real possibility for the club.
Jorge Sampaoli's side suffered a 2-1 defeat to Real Sociedad in their last league match on November 9, while they have not been victorious in La Liga since the middle of October against Mallorca.
Sevilla have also played twice in the Copa del Rey since their last league game, beating Velarde 2-0 on November 13 before recording a 3-0 victory over Juventud Torremolinos on December 21.
Team News
© Reuters
Celta boss Carvalhal will make changes from the side that took to the field for the first whistle against Gernika in the Copa del Rey last time out.
Iago Aspas should be back in the final third of the field, while Kevin Vazquez and Agustin Marchesin are also expected to be named in the XI for this contest.
Goncalo Paciencia is likely to be the player to miss out in the final third of the field, with Carles Perez and Franco Cervi potentially featuring in the wide areas.
Sevilla, meanwhile, will be missing Tanguy Nianzou and Ivan Rakitic following their red cards in the league defeat to Real Sociedad last time out.
Alex Telles is also a doubt with the problem that he picked up at the World Cup, while Thomas Delaney, Marcao and Jesus Manuel Corona are all likely to miss out through injury.
Yassine Bounou and Youssef En-Nesyri both impressed for Morocco at the 2022 World Cup, and the pair could be back in the starting side for Friday's contest.
There will be no Isco, though, with the playmaker being released by the club.
Celta Vigo possible starting lineup:
Marchesin; Mingueza, Aidoo, Nunez; Vazquez, Veiga, Tapia, Galan; Perez, Aspas, Cervi
Sevilla possible starting lineup:
Bounou; Navas, Carmona, Fernando, Rekik; Jordan, Gudelj, Torres; Mir, En-Nesyri, Januzaj
We say: Celta Vigo 1-1 Sevilla
This is a huge match for both sides, and we are expecting it to be a cagey affair. Sevilla will fancy their chances of putting a run of results together in the near future, but the visitors might have to settle for a point here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
