Prediction: Sevilla vs Real Madrid

Verdict: Over 3.5 goals

Best Odds: 5/4

Bookmaker: William Hill

Just three days after their Copa del Rey clash, Sevilla and Real Madrid will contest a top-of-the-table clash in Spanish La Liga, as they currently occupy the top two positions. This is Sevilla’s opportunity to prove they are serious title contenders and also make the title race interesting again.

Sevilla

Sevilla may have failed to qualify for the next stage of the Copa del Rey, but they can be perfectly happy with how the current season is panning out. Los Rojiblancos did well to progress to the Champions League knockout stages, where they will be vying Leicester City for a place in the quarter-finals, while they have also impressed in Spanish La Liga. Against all odds, Sevilla leapfrogged Atletico Madrid and Barcelona on the standings, and even though they sit four points behind Real Madrid, who also have a game in hand, los Rojiblancos can still mount a serious title challenge. Much will obviously depend on the outcome of the derby game vs los Blancos, but the second leg of their Copa del Rey tie proved Sevilla have what it takes to make life difficult for their more illustrious opponents. Granted, both managers intentionally left some of their star players out, but we should see a similar game when they all return to the starting line-up. Jorge Sampaoli must have been delighted to see January recruit Stevan Jovetic score within first 10 minutes on his debut for the club, while Clement Lenglet played full ninety minutes in the 3-3 draw. Considering that Sevilla have been bagging goals for fun at their Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, 19 in last 5 games, we fully expect the trend to continue.

Team News

Samir Nasri, Steven N’Zonzi, Vitolo, Mariano, Nico Pareja and Sergio Rico will be recalled, but Benoit Tremoulinas, Michael Krohn-Dehli and Daniel Carrico remain on the sidelines.

Real Madrid

This season keeps getting better for Real Madrid, who now have a realistic chance to win a historic treble even though head coach Zinedine Zidane is adamant the players are not thinking about that at the moment. Los Blancos have successfully negotiated another obstacle on the road to three major titles as they enjoyed a 6-3 aggregate triumph over Sevilla to reach the Copa del Rey quarter-finals. And if they can defeat los Rojiblancos in Sunday’s La Liga fixture, then they will have definitely made a giant step towards another league trophy. Los Blancos have been playing with a lot of confidence ever since Zinedine Zidane took over the reigns and he is already regarded as one of the best coaches to have commanded the Real Madrid dugout in recent years. The players really enjoy working with him and a great dressing room atmosphere that was never team’s strongest point is making everything a lot easier. But, in spite of all the things going to their favour, the away game against Sevilla is likely to prove one of the toughest encounters in the current La Liga campaign, and there is no way the Real Madrid back line will be able to cope with Jorge Sampaoli’s ultra attacking approach.

Team News

Lucas Vazquez and Isco have an outside chance of making the Sevilla game, but Gareth Bale and Pepe definitely miss out.

Key Factors to Consider

• Teams’ last four meetings at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan produced 19 goals
• Sevilla won three of last five home games vs Real Madrid (D1 L1)
• Cristiano Ronaldo scored 4 goals in last three away games vs Sevilla
• Los Rojiblancos scored 19 goals in last 5 home fixtures
• Real Madrid won 12 of last 14 away games in La Liga (D2)

Conclusion

An entertaining encounter is guaranteed when Sevilla and Real Madrid square off at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, with their last four meetings there producing no fewer than 19 goals. We expect the trend to continue and recommend betting on 3.5 goals.

Verdict: Over 3.5 goals

Best Odds: 5/4

Bookmaker: William Hill