Sevilla missed a great chance to bring all three points from Vicente Calderon as they twice had the lead, but los Rojiblancos can be pleased with the fact they have continued the good run of results. Sporting Gijon recorded third successive draw as they shared spoils with Zaragoza and they wouldn’t mind for the trend to continue.

Sevilla raising their form

Sevilla have not been playing to their potential this season as the squad struggled to cope with the busy schedule, especially with so many players on the sidelines, and the arrival of Gregorio Manzano didn’t have the desired effect. However, los Rojiblancos have showed some improvement lately, having beaten Hercules and Porto before coming really close to a win at Vicente Calderon. We can see that Sevilla are starting to play with confidence and that is having a very positive effect on their showings. With a couple of good results Sevilla returned to contention for the European places and they now have a great chance to further decrease the gap behind Espanyol and Athletic Bilbao. Having dropped out from Europa League despite beating Porto in the return leg, los Rojiblancos will be able to fully focus on their league campaign.

The good news for the hosts is that Frederic Kanoute returns to the side after recovering from injury, while Mouhamadou Dabo should be fit to play after shaking off an ankle knock. Palop and Martin Caceres remain sidelined.

Three straight draws

After narrowly escaping the drop for two season in a row, Sporting are looking to repeat the feat in the third successive season, although that is easier said than done. Manolo Preciado’s side sit just one point above the bottom three after failing to beat relegation rivals Zaragoza at home and they have every reason to fear the trip to Sevilla. Sporting recently recorded their first away win of the season as they beat Mallorca, but they very next game and the 3:0 defeat at San Mames proved that was nothing more than a one-off result. Manolo Preciado’s side were happy to escape the defeat at Mestalla in their last away games, but I don’t think they can do the same against in-form Sevilla. Sporting clearly lack the quality to match the best sides in the league and that will be more than evident at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.

Defender Botia is out through suspension, but Alberto Rivera returns after recovering from an ankle injury. Manolo Preciado has some doubts over the fitness of few unnamed players, which is why he is taking no less than 22 players to Seville.

Verdict

Sevilla are slowly returning to their best, as witnessed by their last three results and an in-form Sevilla usually have no problems at their Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. Sporting have been largely struggling this season and they don’t seem to have what it takes to get something from this game.

Our prediction: Sevilla to win with -1 Asian handicap

Odds: 2.05 (21/20)

Bookmaker: 188BET