Sevilla vs Villarreal

October 25, 2014
By: Nemanja Lazarevic

Second-placed Sevilla will be looking to extend the impressive run of results against a side that could easily prove to be their serious rivals for a top 4 finish. Villarreal are currently on a four-match winning run in all competitions and the match at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan could be a perfect opportunity to further close the gap behind Champions League positions.

Sevilla climb to second

Despite showing a great deal of promise last term to win the Europa League title and achieve a fifth-place finish in La Liga, not too many people saw Sevilla as one of the main candidates for Champions League qualification. However, the continuity with Unai Emery and several quality signings ensured los Rojiblancos enjoy a very good start to the season, winning six of first eight league fixtures to climb to second in the overall standings. With top two places likely to be reserved for El Clasico rivals, Sevilla will probably be vying reigning champions Atletico Madrid and revived Valencia for two Champions League berths and they currently boast a two-point advantage over their rivals. Big strength in depth has allowed the team to successfully balance between domestic and European campaigns, with seven points from three Europa League group games proving more than enough for the first place in the standings. Sevilla will have to be wary of in-form Villarreal at the weekend, but having won last four fixtures at home and with all key men available, they have got to be considered favourites to claim maximum points.

Important midfielder Timothee Kolodziejczak returns from European suspension, but Vitolo and Mariano Barbosa are out injured.

Four in a row

Villarreal are another side that have managed to build on some impressive performances from last season, and they look ready to mount another serious challenge for European positions. The Yellow Submarine didn’t have the best of starts to the new league campaign, winning just two of first six fixtures, but back to back victories over Celta Vigo and Almeria saw them seriously improve their position in the standings. Villarreal currently sit just three points behind fourth-placed Valencia, so they will see the Sevilla game as an opportunity to maybe join the top 4 chase as well. Two big wins in Europa League mean that the Yellow Submarine have now won each of their last four fixtures in all competitions, although the clash at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan will be a serious test to their credentials. The visitors are still without the starting centre-back pairing, which could prove to be a major problem when facing free-scoring Sevilla, while important attacker Giovani dos Santos has yet to score the first goal of the league campaign.

Matteo Musacchio, Chechu Dorado, Antonio Rukavina, Hernan Perez and Bojan Jokic are all unavailable through injury.

Verdict

A highly entertaining game is expected when two in-form sides face each other, although Sevilla do seem to have an advantage here. Los Rojiblancos appear to be in better shape and have all key players available, while Villarreal are missing a number of important defenders, with their good run likely to end at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.

Top pick: Home win   2.15 (23/20) @ William Hill

Alternative pick 1: Both teams to score   1.72 (18/25) @ 888sport

Alternative pick 2: Over 2.5 goals   1.85 (17/20) @ Unibet

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