Sevilla will seek to bounce back from a disappointing opening-day defeat when they host Real Valladolid on Friday in the second round of La Liga fixtures with kickoff at 11 pm.
Sevilla finished fourth place in the league last season, narrowly trailing Real Madrid for most of the term. They also dropped out of the Europa League in the round of 16.
However, they managed to keep their place in the top four and book a spot in next year’s Champions League group stage when they finished one point behind third-placed Atletico Madrid and three behind second-placed Barcelona.
This summer, they had mixed results in pre-season, drawing with Tottenham Hotspur and Sporting Lisbon and beating Angers and Cadiz while also losing to Leicester City and suffering a 6-0 thrashing at the hands of Arsenal in the Emirates Cup final.
Real Valladolid will be looking for their first points of the season when they travel to Alaves, who also need a win after a difficult start.
The Blanquivioletas dropped out of La Liga in the 2020-21 campaign but returned immediately as champions and have kept themselves in contention for promotion this season. They have won four straight games since their promotion last year, with Shon Weissman scoring twice against Huesca on the final day to secure automatic promotion alongside Girona.
Sevilla vs. Real Valladolid Head to Head
Both sides have 16 games against each other, with hosts taking six wins while visitors with three wins. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Osasuna 2-1 Sevilla
- Sevilla 1-0 Cadiz
- Leicester City 1-0 Sevilla
- Arsenal 6-0 Sevilla
Away
- Real Valladolid 0-3 Villarreal
- Real Valladolid 0-0 Lazio
- Rayo Vallecano 0-0 Valladolid
- Ponferradina 1-2 Valladolid
Sevilla Team News
Sevilla is set to be without winger Suso and forward Munir El-Haddadi for the match against Osasuna. Defender Jules Kounde and midfielder Diego Carlos also left the club over the summer. Jesus Corona and Lucas Ocampos could start, while Erik Lamela will probably play behind a lone striker. Rafa Mir was chosen over Youssef En-Nesyri last time out
Real Valladolid Team News
Real Valladolid is likely to start with the same starting lineup that won last weekend’s match. Forward Shon Weissman is the only absentee; he’s still recovering from an injury and is unlikely to play. Sergio Leon will lead the attack, with Gonzalo Plata and Toni Villa again playing on the wings.
Prediction and Odds
Lopetegui’s side will be looking to respond immediately after their opening-day defeat, and Valencia should have too much quality for the newly-promoted outfit.
- Home Win
- Goals Over 2.5
- Both Teams to Score
