Real Madrid will aim to keep a stronghold on the summit of La Liga when they welcome Sevilla to the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.
The 2022/23 season continues, and in Spain, Matchday 11 of La Liga will kick off on Saturday. The action on the day will end at the Santiago Bernabeu, where Real Madrid will play hosts to Sevilla. While the host will aim to remain perched atop the table, the visitors will be eager to embark on a resurgent run.
If you thought Real Madrid had been impressive in 2021/22, they have taken their game up several notches this season. The reigning La Liga champions are unbeaten after 14 games across all competitions. Ten of those outings have come in the league, with Carlo Ancelotti’s men sitting pretty at the top of the standings, three points clear of bitter rival Barcelona.
On the other hand, Sevilla approached the 2022/23 campaign with a lot of optimism. ButΒ Los Nervionenses have made their worst-ever start to a La Liga campaign. Julen Lopetegui has lost his job, with Jorge Sampaoli replacing the Spaniard at the helm. The Andalusian giants are 12th on the table heading into this weekend, managing only ten points thus far.
The corresponding fixture last season saw Real Madrid come from a goal down to beat Sevilla 2-1. Rafa Mir opened the scoring before Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior completed the comeback. The Hard Tackle now takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Real Madrid
πβ Our squad for #RealMadridSevillaFC! pic.twitter.com/J5QHYABEQK
— Real Madrid C.F. π¬π§πΊπΈ (@realmadriden) October 21, 2022
Carlo Ancelotti has greeted a positive update on the team news front ahead of the visit of Sevilla. The Real Madrid manager will have a full-strength squad at his disposal on Saturday.
The good news is that Thibaut Courtois is fit and available after finally recovering from a back injury. The Belgian international will take his spot between the sticks on Saturday, replacing Andriy Lunin, who deputised superbly for him. And Real Madrid will line up in the usual 4-3-3 formation in front of Courtois.
With Real Madrid practically through to the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds as the group winner, Ancelotti can rotate his troops in Europe. So the Real Madrid manager should name his strongest eleven against Sevilla, with Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, David Alaba, and Ferland Mendy completing the backline.
Luka Modric and Toni Kroos will provide the creative impetus from the middle of the park, with Aurelien Tchouameni sitting at the base of the midfield. Eduardo Camavinga will be an option off the bench if required.
As for the offensive unit, Ancelotti might choose to rest Federico Valverde, who has played relentlessly this season. But with Sevilla being a tricky opponent, the in-form Uruguayan midfielder will start as the right-sided attacker. Karim Benzema will spearhead the Real Madrid attack, with Vinicius Junior featuring on the left flank.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Alaba, Mendy; Modric, Tchouameni, Kroos; Valverde, Benzema, Vinicius
Sevilla
Unlike his counterpart in the Real Madrid dugout, Jorge Sampaoli has a new roster issue hampering his preparations ahead of the trip to the Santiago Bernabeu. On Saturday, the Sevilla manager will be bereft of the services of six first-team players.
Kike Salas has missed the trip to Madrid due to a suspension after seeing red against Valencia in the last game. In addition, Sampaoli has excluded Tanguy Nianzou from the travelling squad after the Frenchman came off with a knock against Valencia.
Karim Rekik and Jesus Manuel Corona are the other major absentees. In addition, the Sevilla boss has ruled out Marcos Acuna and Fernando from the game against Real Madrid. So Los Nervionenses will take to the Santiago Bernabeu with a crisis in the defensive unit.
π The travelling π¦π€π¨ππ for #RealMadridSevillaFC βͺοΈπ΄ pic.twitter.com/0mifqvwzoI
— Sevilla FC (@SevillaFC_ENG) October 21, 2022
Bono will take his spot between the sticks on Saturday, with Sevilla lining up in a 3-4-2-1 formation that Sampaoli has preferred in the last three games. The central defensive unit will have a makeshift look, with Gonzalo Montiel and Jose Angelo Carmona starting alongside Marcao.
Jesus Navas will return to the starting eleven, taking up the right wing-berth that Montiel will likely vacate. And Alex Telles will continue on the left flank, looking to send in dangerous crosses for the attackers. Former Real Madrid midfielder Isco has settled down at Sevilla and will pair up with Nemanja Gudelj in the middle of the park.
As for the offensive unit, Papu Gomez will have the onus to carve out the openings for Sevilla. Oliver Torres will look to stretch the Real Madrid defence, with Erik Lamela playing a central role up front. Suso, Rafa Mir, and Kasper Dolberg will be among the backup offensive options.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Bono; Carmona, Marcao, Montiel; Navas, Gudelj, Isco, Telles; Papu Gomez, Oliver Torres; Lamela
Key Stats
- Real Madrid have not lost any of their last seven games against Sevilla in La Liga (W6 D1), keeping three clean sheets. This is their best unbeaten run against the Andalusian club in the competition in the 21st century.
- Real Madrid are unbeaten at home in La Liga since March and have lost just one of their last 33 league clashes at the Santiago Bernabeu.
- Sevilla have made their worst-ever start to a La Liga campaign, amassing only ten points from the first ten games (W2 D4 L4).
- Real Madrid have taken 28 of a possible 30 points in La Liga thus far this season (W9 D1), equalling their best tally after ten games of a campaign in the history of the competition (also 28 in 1968/69 and 1991/92, converted to three points for a win).
- Jorge Sampaoli is unbeaten in his latest stint with Sevilla after four games in charge (W1 D3).
Player to Watch
Vinicius Junior
The Real Madrid juggernaut has shown no signs of stopping, but Carlo Ancelotti has some issues in his squad. In particular, Vinicius Junior has gone off the boil slightly, judging by the enormous standards he has set in the past year. But the Brazilian attacker remains a dependable figure for Real Madrid.
However, Vinicius will have the 2022 FIFA World Cup on his mind, especially with Tite not utilising him as a regular starter. And with Richarlison being an early injury doubt, the 22-year-old needs to capitalise and make an impression on the Brazil head coach. The last few games before the World Cup will make or break Vinicius’s fortunes.
Prediction
Real Madrid 2-0 Sevilla
Real Madrid might have beaten the rock-bottom side Elche with ease earlier this week. But that is not a one-off, withΒ Los Blancos cruising past most opponents. So Sevilla might not pose much of a problem for the hosts, even though they are unbeaten under Jorge Sampaoli.
The Argentine tactician will hope to see his team remain resolute at the back. But while Sevilla might frustrate Real Madrid initially, the reigning La Liga champions will have enough quality to clinch three points. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-0 win for Carlo Ancelotti’s men, who will remain on top of La Liga for another week.
