Title hopefuls Sevilla will be looking to return to winning ways in La Liga when they welcome an in-form Elche to Estadio Ramon on Friday night.
The home side are currently second in the table, six points behind leaders Real Madrid, while Elche occupy 14th position, eight points clear of the relegation zone ahead of the next set of fixtures.
Match preview
© Reuters
Sevilla are still very much in the La Liga title race, picking up 47 points from their opening 23 matches of the season, which has left them second, six points behind leaders Real Madrid.
Julen Lopetegui's side are also seven points ahead of third-placed Betis and nine clear of fourth-placed Barcelona, but they are without a victory in Spain's top flight since January 9, drawing each of their last three against Valencia, Celta Vigo and Osasuna, which has seen them lose precious ground.
Sevilla have not won La Liga since 1946 and have not finished higher than fourth since 2009, which is an indication of the strength of their season to date, but it is vital that they return to winning ways as soon as possible.
The Red and Whites are not only focusing on the league, though, as they will take on Dinamo Zagreb in the knockout round of the Europa League, with the first leg to take place on February 17 in Seville.
Lopetegui's team have the second-best home record in Spain's top flight this season, collecting 27 points from 11 matches, and they will be facing an Elche side that have won just twice on the road in La Liga this term.
© Reuters
Elche held Sevilla to a 1-1 draw when the two sides locked horns in the reverse match earlier this season, but they suffered a 2-0 defeat at Estadio Ramon during the 2020-21 campaign.
The visitors will be the underdogs on Friday night, but there is no question that they will enter the match full of confidence, having put together a five-game unbeaten run in the league, recording three wins in the process.
Francisco's side have won three of their last four in Spain's top flight, including a 3-1 success over Alaves on February 5, with Pere Milla netting a brace during a strong performance at Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero.
Elche finished 17th in La Liga last term, only two points clear of the relegation zone, but they are currently up in 14th position, eight points clear of the bottom three.
Los Franjiverdes have not managed to secure back-to-back seasons at this level of football since 2015 but look well-placed to retain their top-flight status for another campaign.
- D
- W
- W
- D
- D
- D
- W
- W
- L
- D
- D
- D
- L
- D
- W
- W
- D
- W
- W
- W
- W
- L
- D
- W
Team News
© Reuters
Sevilla will be without Gonzalo Montiel, who was injured in the early stages of the clash with Osasuna, which could open the door for January signing Jesus Corona to start at right-back, with Jesus Navas also a major doubt.
Erik Lamela and Suso are also out through injury, but Lucas Ocampos should shake off a knock to start in the final third, with Youssef En-Nesyri also likely to retain his spot.
Anthony Martial should make his home debut for Sevilla in this match, while Jules Kounde is set to return to partner Diego Carlos in the middle of the defence, with Lopetegui expected to switch to a back four.
As for Elche, Gonzalo Verdu will hope to shake off a knock to retain his spot in the middle of the defence, and the visitors have no other fresh concerns heading into the contest.
As a result, there is every chance that head coach Francisco could select the same side that took to the field for the first whistle against Alaves last time out.
Milla scored twice in a front two alongside Lucas Boye and will retain his spot in the starting XI, meaning that Guido Carrillo and Javier Pastore are set to start on the bench once again.
Sevilla possible starting lineup:
Bounou; Corona, Kounde, Carlos, Acuna; Rakitic, Fernando, Jordan; Ocampos, En-Nesyri, Martial
Elche possible starting lineup:
Badia; Palacios, Verdu, Bigas, Mojica; Morente, Mascarell, Gumbau, Fidel; Milla, Boye
We say: Sevilla 1-0 Elche
This is a tough match for Sevilla, as Elche will enter the match full of confidence. Lopetegui's side need to pick up all three points in order to stay in touch with Real Madrid, though, and we are expecting the title hopefuls to navigate their way to a huge victory at Estadio Ramon.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Sevilla win with a probability of 71.13%. A draw had a probability of 18.4% and a win for Elche had a probability of 10.5%.
The most likely scoreline for a Sevilla win was 2-0 with a probability of 13.67%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-0 (12.8%) and 3-0 (9.74%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (8.68%), while for a Elche win it was 0-1 (4.06%). The actual scoreline of 2-0 was predicted with a 13.7% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 2-0 win for Sevilla in this match and our team at Sports Mole correctly predicted the win for Sevilla.
