Sevilla will look to make it three wins in as many La Liga games when they take on league-strugglers Eibar at the Estadio Municipal de Ipurua on Saturday.
Following a slew of managerial sackings at several relegation rivals, a third loss in four league outings could have Eibar boss Jose Luis Mendilibar looking nervously over his shoulder.
Match preview
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In what has been another largely uneasy season for Eibar, Los Armeros have found themselves in the midst of a fiery relegation dogfight this season.
Mendilibar's men have picked up just one league win in their last nine outings, a torrid run that has left them in 15th place, just two points above the bottom three.
Eibar were lucky to come away with a point from their tie against Celta Vigo last time out, with starlet Bryan Gil's goal being the standout moment from a lacklustre team performance in Galicia.
Still, against Julen Lopetegui's in-form Sevilla side, Mendilibar's men will come up against a much more refined opponent.
Adding insult to injury for Los Armeros, Saturday's game will be contested on home turf, a place where Eibar have won just once all season, picking up a total of seven points.
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For their part, Sevilla have the fifth-best away form in the league, a statistic that will likely have Mendilibar cursing his poor fortunes.
Lopetegui's most lethal weapon in his arsenal right now is Youssef En-Nesyri. The 23-year-old Morocco international has scored seven goals in his team's last four league games, establishing himself as one of La Liga's most effective strikers.
Yet, as good as Sevilla currently are, Lopetegui is not a manager who rests on his laurels. Which is why, in addition to the array of skilled attackers at the club, this week saw Sevilla finalise a deal for Atalanta's Papu Gomez - one of Europe's most talented wingers.
A win on Saturday could see Lopetegui's men leapfrog Barcelona into third place, which would be a real statement of intent from the Andalusian outfit.
On paper, this game certainly looks like it could be a fairly one-sided affair, however Eibar have surprised opponents at times this season and Sevilla have come up short against lesser opposition in the past.
Eibar La Liga form: LDWLLD
Eibar form (all competitions): WWLLLD
Sevilla La Liga form: WDWLWW
Sevilla form (all competitions): WLWWWW
Team News
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Having struggled with injuries at times this term, Mendilibar has found himself with a largely fit squad at this point in the season.
In terms of absentees, Eibar will be without Kevin Rodrigues, who will be out for a number of weeks after picking up a knock.
For Sevilla, the big question for Lopetegui will be whether to introduce Gomez at some point during the game or gradually phase the playmaker in over the coming weeks. With the team playing as well as they are, it is unlikely that Gomez will start the game.
Sergio Escudero and Oscar are both unavailable for this tie due to injury, while Nemanja Gudelj is suspended.
Eibar possible starting lineup:
Dmitrovic; Pozo, Oliveira, Bigas, Rafa; Muto, Recio, Alvarez, Exposito, Gil; Kike
Sevilla possible starting lineup:
Bono; Navas, Kounde, Gomez, Acuna; Rakitic, Fernando, Jordan; Suso, En-Nesyri, Ocampos
We say: Eibar 0-2 Sevilla
Eibar are in freefall at the moment and look unlikely to turn the corner against this Sevilla side. We are going for 2-0 to Lopetegui's men with a brace from the man of the hour En-Nesyri.
Top betting tip
Francis Buchanan
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 61.5%. A draw had a probability of 23.6% and a win for Eibar had a probability of 14.95%.
The most likely scoreline for a Sevilla win was 0-1 with a probability of 15.5%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-2 (13.16%) and 1-2 (9.15%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (10.78%), while for a Eibar win it was 1-0 (6.35%). The actual scoreline of 0-2 was predicted with a 13.2% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Sevilla would win this match.
