Sevilla vs Granada

April 19, 2014
By: Nemanja Lazarevic

Fifth-placed Sevilla hope to build on the derby win over Real Betis and further close the gap behind the Champions League positions by defeating Granada at their Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. Meanwhile, their opponents ended a three-match losing run in the best possible way, having beaten Barcelona at home, but they still face an uphill task on Sunday.

All systems go

Sevilla have been seriously exceeding expectations this season, with nobody expecting Unai Emery would manage to rebuild the squad so quickly following the departure of some key players in the summer. Nevertheless, while los Rojiblancos needed some time to hit the ground running, they have been absolutely brilliant in the second part of the season and they are bracing themselves for a run of very important fixtures. The team look well prepared for an assault on the Europa League trophy and a top 4 finish in La Liga, having been playing with a lot of confidence of late. After hammering very good FC Porto side to reach the Europa League semi-finals, los Rojiblancos had to show a lot of character to win the local derby against bottom-placed Real Betis, especially as the boss was forced to rest some important players following the difficult match in midweek. And with their top 4 rivals Athletic Bilbao playing Barcelona at Camp Nou, Sevilla have a perfect chance to close the gap to three points before they face los Leones in a classic six-pointer at the New San Mames next weekend.

Ivan Rakitic, Coke and Nico Pareja will be recalled, but Alberto Moreno is doubtful. Stephane M’Bia, Daniel Carrico, Federico Fazio and Carlos Bacca have resumed full training.

Glorious victory over Barca

La Liga survival has been the main thing on the players’ minds this season and it looks as though Granada will avoid relegation to Segunda. However, just a week back team’s prospects seemed pretty gloomy. Los Rojiblancos had just lost three straight league games and slipped to the danger zone, while they were just three points above the bottom three and preparing for the home game against title chasers Barcelona. And while they were completely outclassed by their more illustrious opponents, Granada somehow managed to record an invaluable triumph that could make all the difference in the final count. Recording a second good result in a row is likely to prove a difficult task though given that Lucas Alcaraz’s side will be facing in-form Sevilla, who are a real force to be reckoned with at their Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. Meanwhile, Granada have picked up just one point from last eight away matches in the league, which is enough to suggest they are in for a difficult evening in Seville.

Important defender Jeison Murillo looks set to miss out through a knee sprain, while Roberto and Riki remain on the sidelines.

Verdict

Sevilla are playing the best football of the season and with los Rojiblancos high on confidence, they can be trusted to record another big win at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. Granada, on the other hand, are buoyed by the lucky triumph over Barcelona, but having lost seven of last eight away matches they really have nothing to hope for ahead of the trip to Seville.

Top pick: Sevilla/Sevilla   2.10 (11/10) @ Betfair

Alternative pick 1: Sevilla with -1.5 AH   2.22 (11/9) @ BetVictor

Alternative pick 2: Rakitic to score   3.10 (21/10) @ bet365

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