Sevilla will host Real Sociedad in the La Liga on Saturday. Wednesday’s cup final four saw the visitors lose to Mallorca on penalties. Sevilla will be coming off a 1-0 loss to division leaders Real Madrid in the top flight of Spain.
Preview (Sevilla vs. Real Sociedad)
Luka Modric came off the bench to decide the match in the 81st minute. It ended Sevilla’s run of four straight wins across all competitions against Real Madrid. Despite the close loss at the Bernabeu, the team’s performance was encouraging. They defeated Atletico Madrid and drew away to Valencia. It seems as though a turnaround has been achieved. Sevilla is currently 15th in the table and six points above the bottom three. They are only one point above Rayo Vallecano in 14th place. Sevilla is by no means having a fantastic season.
Los Nervionenses struggled last season and finished 12th in La Liga, their lowest finish since they were relegated in 1999–2000. Despite this setback, the team still has some winnable games left. They take on relegation-threatened Almeria and Celta Vigo in their next two games. The holders of the Europa League have now dropped their past three league meetings with Real Sociedad. Their most recent triumph over the Basques came in a 2-1 victory in April 2021. Real Sociedad has indeed won all five of their La Liga encounters with Sevilla, including their 2-1 triumph in their rematch earlier this season.
Imanol Alguacil’s team is in concerning form, though, having lost four of their previous five games across all competitions and only winning one of their previous eight games, a 2-1 victory in La Liga on February 18. Real Sociedad’s involvement in three competitions seems to have caught up with them, as they were defeated by Mallorca on penalties on Wednesday night in the Copa del Rey semifinals. The match finished 1-1 after both legs of the final four match, and Mallorca prevailed in the penalty shootout.
Team News
Joan Jordan, Erik Lamela, Lucien Agoume, Marcelo, and Dodi Lukebakio will all be absent for Sevilla once more, while there are questions over the fitness of Marcos Acuna, Mariano Diaz, and Nemanja Gudelj. Additionally, neither Lucas Ocampos nor Djibril Sow will be available for the home team to use because they are suspended following their historic yellow cards against Real Madrid last time out. This coming weekend, Juanlu Sanchez and Suso might take the place of Ocampos and Sow.
Alvaro Odriozola, Martin Merquelanz, Aihen Munoz, and Carlos Fernandez are all out for Real Sociedad, and Aritz Elustondo is questionable because of a groin issue. Despite making six substitutions during the 120-minute game against Mallorca, head coach Alguacil will need to keep an eye on the players’ fitness.
Sevilla 1-1 Real Sociedad
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