La Liga: Can Sevilla Gatecrash Their Way Into the Championship Race?

Real Sociedad vs Sevilla

Sevilla head to Anoeta this weekend to face Real Sociedad in an anticipated clash for the 31^st matchday of the La Liga.

They are at fourth place with 61 points which is only six points adrift to table leaders Atletico Madrid – who are under intense pressure and scrutiny following a stretch of unfavourable La Liga 2021 results recently.

On the other hand, sitting at one spot below them are Real Sociedad, who only have 47 points and they are clawing their way towards securing that final European qualification berth.

Imanol Alguacil’s men are facing stiff competition as Real Betis and Villarreal are breathing down their necks, while Julen Lopetegui’s men are hoping that they can overtake some of their bigger counterparts.

Los Palanganas have slowly crept up in the Spanish top-flight standings, and all of a sudden, they have emerged as viable contenders for this season’s championship.

But can they keep it up by bringing home another win against their rivals? Here at SBOTOP, we look at both of these teams through this match preview.

Talking Points

Real Sociedad have a big hole in the middle

La Liga News: Real Sociedad will be clawing their way towards securing a European qualification berth — Real Sociedad’s Mikel Merino in action during a La Liga match

La Real are severely undermanned since they’ll miss the services of some of their most important players.

Their midfield takes a huge hit as David Silva, Asier Illarramendi, and Mikel Merino are all confirmed out in this Sunday’s matchup.

Silva still hasn’t recovered from his adductor injury while Illarramendi remains on the shelf due to a torn abductor muscle that he sustained earlier this year.

During Sociedad’s momentous win over Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey, team captain Illarramendi was seen limping during the trophy celebration which is a clear sign that he has yet to be 100-per cent fit.

To make matters worse, one of their top playmakers in Mikel Merino is dealing with a stress fracture in his back that would sideline him for at least three months.

Their absences were clearly felt in the last time out as they couldn’t close out Valencia. After leading by two goals in the first half, Los Che pounced on their inexperienced midfield to end the match with a 2-2 draw.

As they continue to fight for their European dream, Real Sociedad have to fill in the void via committee with Portu, Mikel Oyarzabal, and Alexander Isak leading the way.

Sevilla attempting to sneak in

Since losing to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League, Sevilla have been in imperious form with four wins and one draw.

Their biggest win was a 1-0 triumph over Atletico Madrid as Marcos Acuna scored the marginal goal late, and that result cut Los Rojiblancos’ lead significantly.

Real Madrid and Barcelona were certainly happy about it, although the former got the last laugh when they won the most recent El Clasico.

Julen Lopetegui’s club are coming off of a come-from-behind win away to Celta Vigo as Papu Gomez netted the winner in the second half.

That win, coupled with other results, mean that Sevilla are now within striking distance to the title with eight more games to play. That would certainly motivate Los Palanganas to do even better as they try to disrupt the status quo in La Liga.

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History

Prior to Sunday, Real Sociedad and Sevilla have locked horns in 35 matches this century.

Sevilla have the advantage in the head-to-heads with 15 wins, while Real Sociedad have won 11 times along with nine draws.

These two proud clubs last met in January where La Liga fans witnessed a five-goal thriller.

After exchanging leads early in the first half, Youssef En-Nesyri delivered the dagger one minute after the halftime break, completing his hat-trick to secure the victory.

Los Palanganas have been the better team in recent years against La Real (W4, D1). Sociedad’s last victory in this matchup dates back to 2017.

Betting Tip

	Real Sociedad vs Sevilla	Sevilla Asian Handicap 0.00 @ 1.87
	April 18, 20:00 (GMT+8)

The updated La Liga 2021 odds point to a fun and close affair this Sunday.

Sevilla have the slim advantage as they’re priced at 2.54, while Real Sociedad are pegged at 2.79 to win and a draw is at 3.15 in the 1×2 market.

With both sides having players who are capable of producing top quality moments, this ought to be a hard fought match similar to the reverse fixture.

But with Real Sociedad currently short on options in the midfield right now, that should create an opening for a complete Sevilla squad to take care of business and take all three points.