Sevilla vs Valencia
Sevilla and Valencia meet at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on Wednesday evening in an early-season battle for a Champions League place in La Liga.
Both teams are up at the business end of the La Liga table and a midweek win would do very nicely for either side. Sevilla are in sixth position and are more accustomed to fighting for league titles and European places in recent seasons, but third-place Valencia have been showing signs that they are ready to rejoin the Spanish elite.
After strong starts to the campaign, neither side won at the weekend and so both will be keen to taste victory again, and the pre-match Sevilla vs Valencia betting odds predict a hard-fought game with an exciting midfield battle.
Home advantage is with Sevilla and the momentum may have just shifted in their direction too, but it’s going to be a cracker of a contest.
Talking Points
Unbeaten Sevilla look good for top four again
Sevilla head coach Julen Lopetegui is hoping to match or even improve on last season’s fourth-place finish, and two wins to open the campaign were just the start he had hoped for.
Los Sevillanos have since picked up two draws, one away to Elche and then a weekend date with Real Sociedad turned out to be a war of attrition as the two in-form sides played out a 0-0 draw. Diego Carlos almost won it at the death for Sevilla in an evenly matched game, but a point was enough to keep both teams up among the leaders.
Sandwiched in between those two stalemates, a 1-1 draw with Red Bull Salzburg kicked off Sevilla’s Champions League campaign as midfield ace Ivan Rakitic scored from the penalty spot.
It may well have been better though, had striker Youssef En-Nesyri managed to avoid a second yellow card picked up for simulation. The Moroccan forward has scored twice already in this campaign and he could be set to start again on Wednesday, while former Spurs midfielder Erik Lamela has started the season well, scoring three goals
Lopetegui has a midfield packed with quality, with Thomas Delaney and Rakitic in behind the talented Lucas Ocampos, while the evergreen Jesus Navas remains a huge asset both in defence and raiding down the wing.
Sleeping giants had a rude awakening at the Mestalla
Having finished in a disappointing 13th place last season, this could be a comeback campaign for Jose Bordalas’ Valencia, if they can keep up their early momentum.
A Sunday night home game against Real Madrid seemed to be turning out to be a great Mestalla evening as Valencia went into the last five minutes with a one-goal lead, thanks to a superb strike from on-loan forward Hugo Duro midway through the second half. But two goals in as many minutes, from Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema, took all three points to leave Los Murcielagos empty-handed.
Valencia had climbed the table thanks to impressive back-to-back victories – a 3-0 win at home to Alaves and then a 1-4 victory away to Osasuna – but those last five minutes at the Mestalla Stadium may have taken the wind out of their sails.
There was a blow early in the game for Valencia as Spanish midfielder Carlos Soler, who already has three strikes and two assists this season, went off injured after 15 minutes and is doubtful for the Sevilla match. The midfield battle will be crucial in this clash, and in Soler’s absence there will be more responsibility on the experienced shoulders of Danish star Daniel Wass and Gonçalo Guedes.
Up front, there may some game time for Helder Costa, on loan from Leeds United, while Uruguayan forward Maxi Gomez showed against Los Blancos he is a lively customer.
History
This is a clash between two of Spanish football aristocracy. Sevilla were La Liga champions in 1946 and have won the Europa League a record six times this century, while Valencia have won La Liga six times, twice this century under Rafa Benitez, and have won the Copa del Rey eight times, most recently in 2019.
The head-to-head Sevilla vs Valencia results tell the story of a monumental struggle between these two senior statesmen of Spanish football. Of the 58 games played, since 1993, only ten have been draws, with Valencia edging the victories by 25 wins to 23, but without a triumph in the last four meetings.
In fact, Sevilla have already beaten Valencia twice on home soil in 2021, 1-0 in the league last season, and 3-0 in the Copa del Rey Round of 16, and Los Sevillanos come into this game unbeaten in ten.
Betting Tip
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Sevilla vs Valencia | Sevilla Asian Handicap -0.75 @ 1.92 |
| September 23, 01:30 (GMT+8) |
Sevilla at SBOTOP odds of 1.61 are clear favourites for this game, with the draw at 3.78 and Valencia at 4.84. Had Real Madrid not scored twice to beat Valencia on Sunday night with Soler off injured, I may have been tempted by Valencia +0.75 @ 2.06.
But those five minutes of agony for Los Murcielagos and Sevilla’s impressive consistency pushes me towards a home victory.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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|---|---|---|---|
 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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