Sevilla will be looking to make it back-to-back victories in La Liga for the first time since the start of January when they travel to take on Villarreal on Sunday.
These two teams were both in European action during the week, with Villarreal beating Hapoel Be’er Sheva in the Europa Conference League, while Sevilla drew 0-0 with Copenhagen in the Champions League.
Villarreal have made a strong start to the 2022-23 La Liga campaign, collecting 10 points from their five matches, which has left them in fifth place in the table, two points behind fourth-placed Osasuna.
Unai Emery’s side beat Real Valladolid and Atletico Madrid in their first two league matches of the season before being held to a goalless draw by Getafe in their final game of August.
They begun with a 4-0 victory over Elche in Sepetember, but would then suffer a 1-0 defeat to Real Betis last weekend, so they will be looking to avoid a second straight defeat ahead of the international break.
The Yellow Submarine have made the perfect start to their Europa Conference League campaign, beating Lech Poznan 4-3 last week before claiming a 2-1 victory away to Hapoel Be’er Sheva on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Sevilla will enter the contest off the back of a goalless draw with Copenhagen in their second game of the 2022-23 Champions League on Wednesday.
Julen Lopetegui’s position as head coach was believed to be in great doubt following the 4-0 defeat to Manchester City in the Champions League on September 6, with rumours that he could be sacked if the team lost a Espanyol in the league last weekend.
However, Sevilla came up with a strong response at the best possible time, recording a 3-2 victory at RCDE Stadium, which moved them out of the relegation zone and into 16th place.
Villarreal vs Sevilla head to head
These two teams have previously met on 46 occasions across all competitions, where Villarreal have claimed 11 victories while Sevilla have won 21, and they have drawn in 14. Sevilla have scored 66 goals and conceded 53. In their last five meetings, Sevilla have won two, Villarreal one with two draws.
Villarreal 2-2 Sevilla 22/06/20
Sevilla 2-0 Villarreal 29/12/20
Villarreal 4-0 Sevilla 16/05/21
Sevilla 1-0 Villarreal 04/12/21
Villarreal 1-1 Sevilla 08/05/22
Villarreal latest home form
Villarreal have recently been on a good run of form at home, as they have won each of their four most recent matches. They defeated Lech Poznan 4-3 in their last home game in the Europa Conference league. In their last five matches, they have scored 16 goals and conceded eight.
Villarreal 1-2 Real Sociedad 15/05/22
Villarreal 3-1 Levante 03/08/22
Villarreal 4-2 Hajduk Split 18/08/22
Villarreal 4-0 Elche 04/09/22
Villarreal 4-3 Lech Poznan 08/09/22
Villarreal latest away form
Villarreal have recently been on a good run of form on the road, having lost just one of their 15 most recent matches. They defeated Hapoel Be’er Sheva 2-1 in their last away game in the Europa Conference League. In their last five matches, they have scored six goals and conceded two.
Atletico Madrid 0-2 Villarreal 21/08/22
Hajduk Split 0-2 Villarreal 25/08/22
Getafe 0-0 Villarreal 28/08/22
Real Betis 1-0 Villarreal 11/09/22
Hapoel Be’er Sheva 1-2 Villarreal 15/09/22
Sevilla latest home form
Sevilla have recently failed to keep a good run of form at home, having lost each of their two most recent matches. They lost 4-0 to Manchester City in their last home game in the Champions League. In their last five matches, they have scored eight goals and also conceded eight.
Sevilla 6-0 Angers 27/07/22
Sevilla 1-0 Cadiz 06/08/22
Sevilla 1-1 Real Valladolid 19/08/22
Sevilla 0-3 Barcelona 03/09/22
Sevilla 0-4 Manchester City 06/09/22
Sevilla latest away form
Sevilla have recently failed to keep a good run of form on the road, having won just one of their six most recent matches. They drew 0-0 with Copenhagen in their last away game in the Champions League. In their last five matches, they have scored five goals and conceded seven.
Leicester City 1-0 Sevilla 31/07/22
Osasuna 2-1 Sevilla 12/08/22
Almeria 2-1 Sevilla 27/08/22
Espanyol 2-3 Sevilla 10/09/22
FC Copenhagen 0-0 Sevilla 14/09/22
Villarreal news
Villarreal will take to the pitch without Alberto Moreno, while Pepe Reina, Juan Foyth and Manu Trigueros are doubts for the contest.
Nicolas Jackson and Gerard Moreno should be back in the final third alongside Yeremi Pino, with Samuel Chukwueze and Jose Luis Morales set to drop down to the bench on Sunday.
Sevilla news
Sevilla will remain without Erik Lamela will miss out due to a suspension, while Jesus Manuel Corona will again be unavailable for selection this weekend through a long-term issue.
Tanguy Nianzou, Joan Jordan, Rafa Mir, Kasper Dolberg and Marcos Acuna are all in line to return to the starting XI.
Prediction and Odds
Sevilla are certainly capable of picking up a positive result on Sunday, but Villarreal have had an impressive run of form this season.
That said, it is difficult to back against Unai Emery’s side who have won each of their last four matches at home, a run they will most likely extend here.
Odds: 1 2.22 X 2.05 2 2.30
Probable outcomes
Villarreal 1-0 Sevilla
Villarreal 2-0 Sevilla
Villarreal 2-1 Sevilla
Villarreal 3-2 Sevilla
Villarreal 2-2 Sevilla
