La Liga leaders Real Madrid will hit the road to square up against 14th-placed Sevilla, who have not had the best of starts to the new season.
Sevilla are all set to host a high-flying Real Madrid team that have won eight out of their nine outings. Los Blancos have got off to a great start and will look to maintain this run when they square up against Sevilla away from home. Meanwhile, the home team will look to cause an upset and register their third win of the new season.
Sevilla are currently 14th on the points table, having accumulated eight points out of their eight outings. This has not been the kind of start that they would have liked. The Andalusian giants have lost four times so far and have only won twice.
They have only won one out of their last five matches in all competitions, with the run of results costing Jose Luis Mendilibar his job. The home team are heading into this fixture on the back of a 2-2 draw against Rayo Vallecano. And, they will have to put up a much better performance if they want to end up on the right side of the result against Los Blancos.
Meanwhile, Sergio Ramos will be gearing up to square up against his former club Real Madrid, a team that he has led for years and has won some of the biggest titles with. Real Madrid have been in sensational form in the new season. They have won every match in the new season apart from their only defeat which came against city rivals Atletico Madrid.
In the league, they are comfortably sitting at the top of the table with eight wins in nine outings. The visitors are heading into this encounter on the back of a 4-0 win over Osasuna, and they will be confident of getting the right result against Sevilla.
Since their defeat to Deigo Simeone’s men, Los Blancos have been on a four-match winning streak and they will look to make it five in a row. Meanwhile, The Hard Tackle takes a close look at this fixture and tries to predict the tactics both teams could use.
Team News & Tactics
Sevilla
The home team will be without the services of Marko Dmitrovic, Mariano Diaz, Erik Lamela and Alfonso Pastor. Diego Alonso’s men are expected to feature in a 4-2-3-1 formation, where Orjan Nyland will be in goal.
▶ Countdown to #SevillaFCRealMadrid ⏳pic.twitter.com/18q3MFFhp1
— Sevilla FC (@SevillaFC_ENG) October 19, 2023
Jesus Navas and Adria Pedrosa will feature as the full-backs. Meanwhile, in the heart of the defence former Real Madrid skipper Sergio Ramos will pair up with Loic Bade. The backline will try their best to stop a star-studded Los Blancos attack.
In the centre of the park, Ivan Rakitic will pair up with Djibril Sow. The duo will form the double pivot and they will look to provide their backline with the much-needed cover.
Suso will be the attacking midfielder while Lucas Ocampos and Dodi Lukebakio will start out wide on the flanks. The duo will provide the width of their attacks, while Suso will take care of things more centrally. Meanwhile, Youssef En-Nesyri will be the leader of their attack.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Nyland; Navas, Bade, Ramos, Pedrosa; Rakitic, Sow; Ocampos, Suso, Lukebakio; En-Nesyri
Real Madrid
Real Madrid will be without the services of Andriy Lunin, Eder Militao and Thibaut Courtois. Meanwhile, Nacho is suspended for this fixture. David Alaba and Arda Guler have returned from injuries over the international break. Alaba is expected to return to the starting XI while Guler might not be risked in this fixture.
🏃🏃🏃🏃🏃#RMCity pic.twitter.com/T4fWsgAjed
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) October 20, 2023
Carlo Ancelotti will stick to the 4-4-2 formation with a diamond in the centre of the park. Kepa Arrizabalaga will continue in goal. Dani Carvajal and Ferland Mendy could be the full-backs in this outing. Meanwhile, Alaba will pair up with Antonio Rudiger in the heart of the defence.
Aurelien Tchouameni will be the defensive midfielder. He will have the support of Eduardo Camavinga and Federico Valverde. Meanwhile, Jude Bellingham, who is in red-hot form will continue as the attacking midfielder. Rordygo is expected to return to the starting XI, and he will most likely feature alongside Vinicius Junior.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Kepa; Carvajal, Rudiger, Alaba, Mendy; Valverde, Tchouameni, Camavinga; Bellingham; Rodrygo, Vinicius
Key Stats
- In the last 56 matches played between Sevilla and Real Madrid, the visitors have 36 times while the home team only have 16 wins to their name.
- The home team have not won against Los Blancos in their last nine outings in the league.
- After four consecutive home wins against Real Madrid, Sevilla have lost their last four such games.
- Los Blancos have been unbeaten in their last 14 away games against teams from Andalusia in the league.
- For the first team since the 2014/15 campaign, Real Madrid have not played a single draw in their first nine league games.
Player to Watch
Jude Bellingham
Bellingham has had an incredible start to life in Madrid after his big-money move from Borussia Dortmund. The 20-year-old midfielder has featured in 10 matches for Los Blancos, and he already has 13 goal contributions.
The former Borussia Dortmund star has found the back of the net on ten occasions in all competitions. He has scored eight goals in the league and is currently the top scorer of La Liga. The 20-year-old will look to add to it when he squares up against Sevilla.
Prediction
Sevilla 1-3 Real Madrid
Sevilla have only won two matches out of their eight outings in the new La Liga season. They have struggled for form and are currently 14th on the points table. Meanwhile, Real Madrid are top of the points table. They have won eight out of their nine outings.
While Sevilla do have the quality to put up a strong fight against Los Blancos, their recent form suggests that they might not stand a chance. As a result, The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for the visitors.
