Sevilla could haul themselves level on points with Real Sociedad if they emerge victorious against Imanol Alguacil's men at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan on Saturday.
Following a bright start to their La Liga campaign, La Real have struggled for form in recent weeks. However, three points in Andalusia could be the remedy they need to move past their troubled festive period.
Match preview
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Saturday's clash really is the tale of two sides who appear to be moving in opposite directions in the table at this point in the season.
After blowing hot and cold earlier on in the campaign, Julen Lopetegui's Sevilla seem to have recovered their zip, having gone five consecutive games unbeaten in the league.
La Real, on the other hand, have only won once in their last six outings, gathering just five points from a possible 15.
Still, it is not all doom and gloom for Alguacil's side; La Real have the joint-best away form in the league, having won five of their nine games on the road.
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If Alguacil is serious about keeping pace with the league leaders, he will need his team to collect another high-profile scalp on their travels this weekend.
However, Lopetegui can take solace in the fact that his side have scored eight goals across their last two home games against La Real.
Also, Los Palanganas have not been defeated by La Real in five consecutive league encounters, having beaten them three times and drawn twice.
With both sides more than capable of doing extraordinary things, Saturday's clash should be a fascinating encounter at the top of the table.
Sevilla La Liga form: LWDWWD
Sevilla form (all competitions): WDWWDW
Real Sociedad La Liga form: DLLLWD
Team News
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Veteran defensive midfielder Fernando could return to Sevilla's starting XI after missing out against Real Betis due to suspension.
Skipper Jesus Navas and first-team regular Lucas Ocampos are currently doubts for this fixture but could still start the game, while Lopetegui is still expected to be without Sergio Escudero, who is out with an elbow injury.
La Real are in the midst of an injury crisis at the moment with a number of key players like Nacho Monreal and David Silva out with minor injuries.
Fortunately for Alguacil, full-back Igor Zubeldia featured against Osasuna last time out and is expected to start this game.
Sevilla possible starting lineup:
Bono; Navas, Kounde, Carlos, Acuna; Jordan, Fernando, Oliver; Suso, En-Nesyri, Ocampos
Real Sociedad possible starting lineup:
Alex Remiro; Zubeldia, Le Normand, Sagnan, Munoz; Portu, Guevara, Merino; Barrenetxea, Willian Jose, Oyarzabal
We say: Sevilla 1-0 Real Sociedad
These are two sides that are very well-drilled defensively, meaning the attacking football on display will undoubtedly be limited to rare chances and stray shots on goal. We think a moment of magic will give Sevilla the win in Andalusia.
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 39.7%. A win for Real Sociedad had a probability of 33.38% and a draw had a probability of 26.9%.
The most likely scoreline for a Sevilla win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.79%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.42%) and 2-0 (7.11%). The likeliest Real Sociedad win was 0-1 (9.71%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.78%). The actual scoreline of 3-2 was predicted with a 2.2% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Sevilla would win this match.
