Sevilla will be looking to make it five straight victories in all competitions when they continue their 2020-21 La Liga campaign away to Huesca on Saturday evening.
Julen Lopetegui's side have won their last two in the league to rise into seventh spot in the table, but Huesca are yet to triumph in Spain's top flight this term and currently sit down in 19th.
Match preview
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Huesca have very much been the draw specialists in Spain's top flight this season, sharing the points in seven of their 10 matches, suffering just three defeats in the process.
Michel's side are the only La Liga team yet to pick up a victory in 2020-21, though, and currently sit down in 19th spot in the table, level on points with 20th-placed Celta Vigo.
The fact that last season's Segunda Division champions have only suffered three league defeats this term is certainly a positive but their winless run will be a concern.
Huesca lost 4-1 to Real Sociedad and Real Madrid in the latter stages of October but have picked up two points from their last two matches against Eibar and Osasuna and will be hoping that Sevilla's midweek Champions League fixture will leave them lacking energy during Saturday's affair.
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Sevilla booked their spot in the last-16 stage of the Champions League on Tuesday night courtesy of a 2-1 victory over Krasnodar, and Lopetegui's side will now battle Chelsea for first spot in the section.
The Europa League holders have had their problems in La Liga this season and actually lost three straight matches to Granada, Eibar and Athletic Bilbao between October 17 and October 31.
Lopetegui's team returned to winning ways at home to Osasuna on November 7, though, before beating Celta 4-2 last weekend to rise into the top half of the division.
Los Nervionenses are currently seventh in Spain's top flight, just four points behind fourth-placed Real Madrid with a game in hand, and they will certainly be looking for another Champions League finish.
Sevilla will be desperate to pick up another positive result ahead of their next league fixture against the reigning champions on December 5, but the fact that they have had a long trip back from Russia could harm their preparations for Saturday's contest at Estadio El Alcoraz.
Huesca La Liga form: DDLLDD
Sevilla La Liga form: DLLLWW
Sevilla form (all competitions): WLWWWW
Team News
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Huesca will again be without the services of Idrissa Doumbia due to a muscular problem, while Antonio Valera is unlikely to shake off a shoulder problem in time for the contest.
Shinji Okazaki is pushing for a start, having appeared off the bench against Osasuna, but Sandro Ramirez was on the scoresheet last time out and should retain his spot alongside Rafa Mir in attack.
David Ferreiro and Borja Garcia are also expected to keep their positions in the wide areas, with Pedro Mosquera and Mikel Rico lining up in the middle of the park.
As for Sevilla, Jesus Navas was suspended for the Champions League clash with Krasnodar, but the experienced Spaniard should return to the starting XI on Saturday.
Joan Jordan and Youssef En-Nesyri are also likely to earn spots in the team, with Luuk de Jong and Nemanja Gudelj potentially dropping out of the starting side.
The visitors will again be without the services of Marcos Acuna and Suso through injury, though, while Yassine Bounou and Carlos Fernandez are unavailable due to recent positive coronavirus tests.
Huesca possible starting lineup:
Fernandez; Lopez, Insua, Siovas, Galan; Ferreiro, Rico, Mosquera, Garcia; Sandro, Mir
Sevilla possible starting lineup:
Vaclik; Navas, Kounde, Carlos, Escudero; Rakitic, Fernando, Jordan; El Haddadi, En-Nesyri, Ocampos
We say: Huesca 1-2 Sevilla
Huesca have only lost three of their 10 league matches this season and have proved difficult to break down on occasions. Sevilla are on an impressive run of wins, though, and we fancy Lopetegui's side to make it five straight victories in all competitions with a narrow success at Estadio El Alcoraz.
Top betting 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 47.78%. A draw had a probability of 26.2% and a win for Huesca had a probability of 26.04%.
The most likely scoreline for a Sevilla win was 0-1 with a probability of 12.19%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (9.16%) and 0-2 (9.01%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (12.4%), while for a Huesca win it was 1-0 (8.4%). The actual scoreline of 0-1 was predicted with a 12.2% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 0-1 win for Sevilla in this match.
