Jorge Sampaoli will be bidding to continue his positive start as Sevilla manager when Los Nervionenses welcome Valencia to Estadio Ramon on Tuesday night.
Sevilla will enter this match off the back of a 1-0 victory over Mallorca in La Liga on Saturday, while Valencia were held to a 2-2 draw at home by bottom-of-the-table Elche.
Match preview
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Sevilla sacked Julen Lopetegui as head coach earlier this month, with Sampaoli returning for a second spell at the helm, having previously been in charge during the 2016-17 campaign.
Sampaoli's first match was the 1-1 draw with Athletic Bilbao in La Liga on October 8, before the Spanish outfit picked up a point in a 1-1 draw away to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League three days later.
Sevilla will enter this match off the back of a victory, though, having beaten Mallorca in the league on Saturday, with Nemanja Gudelj scoring the only goal of the contest early in the second period.
Rojiblancos, who finished fourth in Spain's top flight last season, currently sit 13th in the La Liga table, boasting a record of two wins, three draws and four defeats from their nine matches, and they are already 10 points off the top four, which is a concern, even at this stage of the season.
Sevilla are actually unbeaten against Valencia in La Liga since March 2019, and the home side recorded a 3-1 victory in the corresponding fixture between the two sides last term.
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Valencia, meanwhile, will enter this match off the back of a 2-2 draw with Elche on Saturday, which extended their unbeaten run in La Liga to four matches.
A respectable start to the campaign has left Los Che in seventh position in the table on 14 points, but they will feel that all three points should have been secured against the league's basement side.
Indeed, after falling behind in the 29th minute, a double from Edinson Cavani late in the first period saw Valencia lead 2-1; Elche were not finished, though, and scored a second through Milla in the 65th minute, with the points ultimately being shared at Mestalla.
Gennaro Gattuso's side will play three more times before the end of the month, following this match with back-to-back home fixtures against Mallorca and Barcelona.
Valencia finished ninth in Spain's top flight last season but could be considered as outsiders for a potential top-six spot this term, with the team showing plenty of positive signs in recent weeks.
Team News
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Sevilla will again be missing Karim Rekik and Jesus Manuel Corona on Tuesday through injury, while Fernando remains a fitness doubt for the home side.
Jesus Navas also had to be replaced at the interval of the clash with Mallorca, which could now see Jose Angel Carmona come in for a start against Valencia.
Sampaoli will have been pleased with his team's performance at the weekend, so it is likely to be a similar side for this match, with Isco, Oliver Torres and Erik Lamela potentially playing as the front three once again.
As for Valencia, Cavani had to be replaced at half time against Elche on Saturday, and the Uruguay international is a major doubt for this contest due to the issue that forced him off the field.
As a result, Hugo Duro could lead the away team's attack, while Samu Castillejo and Jaume Domenech will again be unavailable for selection due to injury problems.
Valencia will be boosted by the return of two players, though, as Marcos Andre and Mouctar Diakhaby are both available after serving suspensions against Elche.
Sevilla possible starting lineup:
Bono; Montiel, Nianzou, Marcao; Carmona, Rakitic, Gudelj, Acuna; Torres, Lamela, Isco
Valencia possible starting lineup:
Mamardashvili; Correia, Paulista, Comert, Gaya; Musah, Nico, Almeida; Kluivert, Duro, Lino
We say: Sevilla 1-1 Valencia
Both teams will be slightly wary entering this match, which could create a cagey affair on Tuesday. The likely absence of Cavani is a blow for Valencia, but Los Che are not losing games at the moment, and we are backing the visitors to secure a share of the spoils against an improving Sevilla.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
