Sevilla will be looking to make it three straight wins in all competitions when they head to RCDE Stadium on Sunday afternoon to take on Espanyol.
The visitors are currently second in the table, four points behind leaders Real Madrid on the same number of matches (24), while Espanyol occupy 13th spot, eight points clear of the relegation zone.
Match preview
© Reuters
Espanyol were so close to recording a famous win over rivals Barcelona at RCDE Stadium last weekend, as goals from Sergi Darder and Raul de Tomas had seen them turn the match around to lead heading into the final exchanges, but Luuk de Jong levelled the scores in the 96th minute.
The Catalan club are now winless in their last five league games, picking up just two points in the process, which has seen them drop into 13th position in the table on 28 points.
Espanyol are eight points clear of the relegation zone, though, so it would be a surprise if they were pulled into trouble over the next few weeks, particularly with De Tomas enjoying an excellent campaign, scoring 13 league goals, which is a total only bettered by Karim Benzema.
The White and Blues secured a return to the top flight by winning last season's Segunda Division, and they will be bidding to consolidate at this level once again following their surprise relegation.
Espanyol have impressed at home this season, winning six of their 12 matches, collecting 21 points in the process, but they have not beaten Sevilla in Spain's top flight since January 2017.
© Reuters
Sevilla were 2-0 winners over Espanyol in the reverse match earlier this season, and Julen Lopetegui's side will now be bidding to make it back-to-back victories over the Catalan club to stay close to leaders Real Madrid.
As it stands, Los Nervionenses are second, four points behind Real Madrid, but the gap could be seven by the time that the visitors take to the field for this match, as Los Blancos face Alaves on Saturday night.
Sevilla ended a run of three straight draws in the league by beating Elche 2-0 last weekend, while they will also enter the match off the back of a strong victory in the Europa League.
Indeed, Lopetegui's side beat Dinamo Zagreb 3-1 on Thursday in the first leg of their knockout round playoff clash to place themselves in a strong position to reach the next round of the competition.
Sevilla have not won La Liga since 1946, while they have not finished higher than fourth since 2009, so it could be a famous season for the club, who have the third-best away record in La Liga this term, collecting 20 points from their 12 matches, which is a record only bettered by Real Madrid and Real Betis.
- W
- L
- D
- L
- L
- D
- L
- L
- D
- L
- L
- D
- W
- W
- D
- D
- D
- W
- L
- D
- D
- D
- W
- W
Team News
© Reuters
Espanyol had Nico Melamed and Manu Morlanes sent off against Barcelona last weekend, so the pair, who were both substitutes in that contest, are available for selection here.
The Catalan club did not suffer any injury problems to their first XI in the derby, though, so it would not be a surprise to see the same group of players take to the field for the first whistle here.
As mentioned, De Tomas is enjoying an impressive campaign and will again lead the attack, while Javi Puado and Tonny Vilhena are expected to support the Spaniard from the wide positions.
As for Sevilla, Marcos Acuna will miss the contest through suspension, while Karim Rekik, Jesus Corona, Gonzalo Montiel, Suso and Erik Lamela are out through injury.
Jesus Navas made his return off the bench against Dinamo, though, and the 36-year-old could now be back in the starting side, which would see Jules Kounde switch into a centre-back spot due to Rekik's injury.
Rafa Mir and Youssef En-Nesyri are battling to lead the attack, with the latter perhaps just getting the nod, while Anthony Martial will start, fresh from scoring his first goal for the club in the Europa League on Thursday.
Espanyol possible starting lineup:
D Lopez; Vidal, Gomez, Cabrera, Pedrosa; Bare; Puado, Herrera, Darder, Vilhena; De Tomas
Sevilla possible starting lineup:
Bounou; Navas, Carlos, Kounde, Augustinsson; Rakitic, Fernando, Jordan; Ocampos, En-Nesyri, Martial
We say: Espanyol 1-2 Sevilla
Sevilla really need to win this match, as they are likely to be seven points off the summit by the time that it kicks off, and we are backing the visitors to claim all three points courtesy of a narrow success, with Martial potentially scoring in successive matches for his new club.
Top tip
Matt Law
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 51.15%. A draw had a probability of 25.2% and a win for Espanyol had a probability of 23.63%.
The most likely scoreline for a Sevilla win was 0-1 with a probability of 12.14%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-2 (9.59%) and 1-2 (9.46%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.97%), while for a Espanyol win it was 1-0 (7.58%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with an 12% likelihood.
