Sevilla will make the brief trip to Estadio Benito Villamarín this Sunday to face city rivals Real Betis in the 13th round of the 2022/23 La Liga season.
Venue: Estadio Benito Villamarín (Sevilla)
Key Statistics
Real Betis have kept four clean sheets in their last five games in all competitions.
The hosts have won eight of their last ten home games in all competitions (D1, L1).
Sevilla have scored first in six of their past eight away contests, but have won on just two occasions (D3, L3).
The visitors have conceded three goals in each of their last two away games.
They have won just two of their last 12 games (D5, L5).
Head to head
Both sides have 24 wins and 21 draws in this fixture.
Latest performances in all competitions
Real Betis: W-W-W-L-D
Sevilla: L-L-W-L-D
Real Betis
After booking a place in the next phase of the UEL, Real Betis return to domestic action looking to secure a second consecutive win in the Spanish topflight against Andalusian rivals Sevilla.
Manuel Pellegrini’s side wrapped up their UEFA Europa League group stage matches in style by beating HJK to secure the top spot in Group C.
Aitor Ruibal scored a first-half brace to hand Los Verdiblancos a comfortable lead going into the break. French midfielder Nabil Fekir who replaced Luiz Henrique in the 67th minute, capped off a fine cameo appearance with a well-taken strike just before the final whistle to hand Manuel Pellegrini’s side a comfortable win over the Finnish side.
The win ensured that Real Betis finished the UEL group stages with five wins and one draw.
Real Betis have gone from strength to strength since the signing of Manuel Pellegrini and this season, they look set for a season-high finish within the top four places.
However, with competition rife, the Chilean coach will be keen to see his boys not lose focus and pick up all possible points to stave off competitors, and next up for the Chilean tactician is the visit of Sevilla to the Estadio Benito Villamarin for the Seville Derby.
Sevilla have enjoyed the upper hand in this fixture in recent years, but with their local rivals currently in a deteriorating state, Los Verdiblancos will come into this game with the full confidence that they can take all three points from Jorge Sampaoli’s side.
Possible Real Betis starting line-up
Rui Silva; Youssouf Sabaly, German Pezzella, Edgar Gonzalez, Alex Moreno; Guido Rodriguez, William Carvalho, Luiz Henrique; Nabil Fekir, Sergio Canales; Borja Iglesias.
Injured: Juanmi Jimenez, Felipe, Víctor Camarasa, Joaquin, Guido Rodriguez
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Sevilla
Sevilla on the other hand wrapped up their Champions League campaign with a 1-3 loss to Manchester City last Tuesday, to confirm their place in the UEFA Europa League knockout round playoffs.
In an entertaining game at the Etihad against a youthful City side, Los Nervionenses took a shock lead courtesy of a Rafa Mir header inside the first half in a fairly significant encounter.
But Manchester City came back after the break in better fashion after Pep Guardiola had substituted Jack Grealish for Rodri before the restart. With the experienced Spanish international at the centre of the park, Manchester City began dominating and found an equaliser seven minutes later when teenage right back Rico Lewis who had looked bright all through the night, rifled home a right-footed shot into the roof of the net after being found by Julian Alvarez. The Argentine striker went on to assist Riyad Mahrez for the third goal and also got his name on the score sheet following a great pass from Kevin De Bruyne.
Sevilla have had a poor start to the La Liga season, which culminated in the sacking of Julen Lopetegui, who left the club in a bad state. But there have been very few positives to point out since former Argentina and Marseille coach Jorge Sampaoli took charge, except for the improved mood at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.
But after picking up just one win in seven matches since his appointment, including a 0-1 loss to Rayo Vallecano last weekend, the Argentine coach will be under growing pressure to get the results his predecessor could not produce. A win over local rivals, Real Betis in the Seville Derby, may serve as the spark that will finally get his tenure in Spain, the kind of start he would have wanted.
The win will also give him a little more breathing space to find the formula needed to take Los Nervionenses out of the relegation berths where they currently occupy.
Possible Sevilla Starting line-up
Yassine Bounou; Gonzalo Montiel, Nemanja Gudelj, Karim Rekik, Marcos Acuna; Joan Jordan, Ivan Rakitic; Jesus Navas, Oliver Torres, Erik Lamela; Rafa Mir.
Injured: Nianzou Kouassi, Teixeira Marcão
Doubtful: None
Suspended: Isco
Odds
| Real Betis to win | Draw | Sevilla to win | |
| Odds | 2.05 | 3.30 | 4.00 |
| Probability (%) | 47 | 29 | 24 |
Prediction
Real Betis 2-0 Sevilla
