Sevilla will be looking to continue their ascent of the La Liga table when they face bottom club Elche at the Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero on Wednesday evening.
Thanks to a stunning upturn under Jose Luis Mendilibar, Sevilla find themselves two points shy of the European places, while already-relegated Elche are 14 points adrift at the foot of the standings.
Match preview
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Elche supporters must be wondering where their team's recent performances have come from, as the basement dwellers have picked up a number of impressive results in recent weeks, despite the fact that Los Franjiverdes have been destined for the drop for some time.
After thrashing Rayo Vallecano 4-0 at the end of last month, Elche lost to Almeria before claiming a shock 1-0 victory over Atletico Madrid, while Saturday's 1-1 draw against Getafe extended the club's mini hot streak.
Consequently, Sebastian Beccacece's men have taken seven points from their last four matches, collecting 35% of their total points tally in the space of a month, although the Alicante outfit remain 15 points from safety with three games left to play.
When you look at the bigger picture, Elche have taken just 20 points from a possible 105 this season, and they had to wait until February to pick up their first league win of the campaign, recording six draws and 13 losses before finally tasting victory.
Having suffered a 3-0 defeat at Sevilla back in January – registering a solitary attempt on target while seeing only 19% of the ball at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium – Los Franjiverdes look destined to struggle on Wednesday, regardless of their recent form.
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There was a time earlier in the season when it looked as though Sevilla would join Elche in the relegation battle, as the Andalusians endured a below-par start to the campaign, winning two of their opening 15 league games while managing a single clean sheet in the process.
Jorge Sampaoli replaced Julen Lopetegui in the managerial hot seat back in October, but the new boss only lasted until March after failing to steady the ship, leaving experienced coach Jose Luis Mendilibar to take the reins.
To say that Mendilibar has transformed Sevilla's fortunes would be an understatement, as Los Nervionenses have lost just one of their 13 matches under the 62-year-old's watch, reaching a fifth Europa League final in 10 years for good measure.
Following Sunday's goalless draw with Real Betis, Sevilla have taken 20 points from a possible 27 since Mendilibar took charge, notching six wins and two draws to climb to within touching distance of the European places in La Liga.
Sitting two points outside the top seven with three games remaining, Los Nervionenses will be confident of maintaining their resurgence and snatching a European spot at the eleventh hour, having enjoyed a remarkable rise over the past couple of months.
Team News
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Elche will be without Omar Mascarell and Jose Angel Carmona on Wednesday as both players continue to recover from muscle injuries, while long-term absentee Jony Alamo remains sidelined due to a knee injury.
Having scored in last weekend's draw at Getafe, Lucas Boye will aim to enhance his tally of five goals and four assists, with Rayo Vallecano loanee Randy Nteka expected to join Boye in attack.
Beccacece will likely stick with five defenders as he looks to finish the season on a positive note, meaning that Pedro Bigas, Lisandro Magallan and Carlos Clerc will continue at centre-back for the hosts.
For the visitors, Joan Jordan will miss the remainder of the campaign due to an Achilles tendon injury, while Tanguy Nianzou and Marcao are also expected to be absent from Wednesday's squad.
Mendilibar has not been afraid to ring the changes since arriving at Sevilla, so Rafa Mir could get the nod ahead of Youssef En-Nesyri up front, with Papu Gomez and Erik Lamela supporting the striker.
Ivan Rakitic and Papa Gueye will continue to anchor the midfield, while Gonzalo Montiel and Alex Telles are expected to occupy the full-back roles.
Elche possible starting lineup:
Badia; Morente, Bigas, Magallan, Clerc, Blanco; Fidel, Nwankwo, Gumbau; Nteka, Boye
Sevilla possible starting lineup:
Dmitrovic; Montiel, Rekik, Gudelj, Telles; Rakitic, Gueye; Lamela, Oliver, Gomez; Mir
We say: Elche 0-2 Sevilla
Despite Elche's recent upturn, we expect Sevilla to continue their revival under Mendilibar by securing a straightforward win on Wednesday, achieving a fifth successive away league victory in the process.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Ben Morris
