Two underperforming giants of Spanish football will lock horns in La Liga on Saturday night, with Sevilla welcoming Valencia to Estadio Ramon, and both teams are desperate for the points due to their struggles this term.
Sevilla are currently down in 14th spot in the La Liga table, only picking up 22 points from their 18 league matches this season, while Valencia sit 19th, with Los Che collecting just 12 points from their 18 games in Spain's top flight this term.
Match preview
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Sevilla finished fourth in three straight seasons between 2019 and 2022, but they have been 12th and 14th in their last two campaigns and are again in the bottom half of the table after 18 games of 2024-25.
Last season's 14th-placed finish proved to be Sevilla's worst final position in Spain's top flight since being relegated in 1999-2000, but new head coach Garcia Pimienta has also found it difficult to get the team going this term.
Los Nervionenses have a record of six wins, four draws and eight defeats from their 18 league matches this season, with a total of 22 points leaving them in 14th spot in the table, seven points above the relegation zone.
Sevilla's last La Liga match ended in a 4-2 defeat to Real Madrid on December 22, before suffering a shock 4-1 loss to Almeria in the last-32 stage of the Copa del Rey last time out.
The hosts have been relatively strong at Estadio Ramon this season, though, picking up 16 points from nine matches, and they will be welcoming a Valencia outfit that have not won a single La Liga game on their travels in 2024-25.
Garcia Pimienta said during his pre-match press conference: "After the match in Almeria, I'm looking forward to playing again tomorrow against Valencia. It's a different Valencia side. When there is a change of coach, new things always happen. There's a different energy for the players.
"We have seen the two matches with [Carlos] Corberan and they have done very well. We will have to be at our best and show that what happened in Almeria was a blip, especially in the second half because the first half was quite good. We are looking forward to playing tomorrow at our stadium. We all have to get our act together so that what happened in the cup doesn't happen again."
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Valencia will enter this match off the back of a 2-0 victory over Eldense in the Copa del Rey, and they will now take on Ourense CF next week for a spot in the quarter-finals of the competition.
Los Che opened their 2025 with a 2-1 home defeat to Real Madrid in La Liga, though, with the reigning champions scoring twice in the latter stages to turn the game around, and Valencia were left wondering just how they managed to lose.
Carlos Corberan's side are currently 19th in the La Liga table, boasting a record of two wins, six draws and 10 defeats from 18 matches, which has seen them collect 12 points - the same number as basement side Real Valladolid.
It is not quite time to hit the panic button, with Valencia only four points behind 17th-placed Getafe on the same number of matches, but there is a real concern that Los Che could drop out of La Liga for the first time since 1986-87.
Valencia recorded a 2-1 win over Sevilla in the corresponding match last season, but three of the last five top-flight contests between these two teams have ended in a share of the spoils.
Speaking during his pre-match press conference, Corberan said: "I expect a very competitive match, where what matters most to me is the attitude of my team. That is the key. We want to continue taking steps forward and to take advantage of the opportunity that we have in front of us, with all the ambition to make the most of it.
"That is the main objective that I have. Sevilla have a very well established identity and they are building on it. They play from the back, very bravely, and prefer to press rather than defend.
"I have been here for 14 days and I am extremely excited about what I have found at the club: The staff close to me and especially the attitude from the players. We are going into the match in better condition than when we played against Real Madrid. The days that have gone by help us to grow, and with the attitude that I perceive from the players we are going into the match with the chances of being a competitive team.
"My objective is to get the best from the players, to see them compete with enthusiasm and personality, because that is what brings us closer to winning. We have to show our identity and transfer it to the pitch, be able to attack, defend and manage the periods of the game well."
Team News
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Sevilla welcomed Adria Pedrosa back into their squad against Almeria in the Copa del Rey after a recent injury problem, but Kelechi Iheanacho, Djibril Sow, Chidera Ejuke, Rafa Mir and Tanguy Nianzou are all doubts for the hosts.
Head coach Garcia Pimienta will make changes to the side that started against Almeria, with Jose Angel Carmona, Alvaro Fernandez and Lucien Agoume set to return to the side.
Juanlu Sanchez played further forward against Real Madrid in Sevilla's last league match, and that is expected to be the case this weekend, with Isaac Romero also featuring in the final third of the field.
As for Valencia, Fran Perez, Jose Gaya, Mouctar Diakhaby and Thierry Correia are out of the match through injury, but Pepelu is available after serving a league suspension against Real Madrid.
Head coach Corberan named a strong side against Eldense in the Copa del Rey, and it will be a similar side here, but Andre Almeida, Luis Rioja, Yarek Gasiorowski and Enzo Barrenechea are expected to be introduced.
Hugo Duro has scored five times in 15 La Liga appearances during the 2024-25 campaign, and the Spaniard is set for another start in the final third of the field on Saturday night.
Sevilla possible starting lineup:
Fernandez; Carmona, Bade, Gudelj, Salas; Lukebakio, Agoume, Lokonga, Idumbo; Sanchez, Romero
Valencia possible starting lineup:
Dimitrievski; Foulquier, Tarrega, Mosquera, Gasiorowski; D Lopez, Guerra, Barrenechea, Rioja; Duro, Almeida
We say: Sevilla 1-1 Valencia
Valencia are yet to win on their travels in La Liga this season, but they have picked up three draws, and we fancy Los Che to claim a point here; Sevilla will have home advantage, but they have only scored eight times at Estadio Ramon in the league this term, and a low-scoring draw looks to be the most likely outcome on Saturday night.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
