Two sides that have had disappointing starts to the new La Liga campaign will lock horns at Estadio Ramon on Tuesday evening, with Sevilla welcoming Real Valladolid.
Both teams have picked up just five points from their opening six league matches of the season, with Sevilla currently sitting down in 14th spot in the table, while Real Valladolid occupy 17th position.
Match preview
Sevilla only picked up two points from their opening four league matches of the season, drawing with Las Palmas and Mallorca, in addition to losing to Villarreal and Girona.
Garcia Pimienta's side managed to record a huge 1-0 win over Getafe in their first match after the September international break, but they were unable to build on it, losing 2-1 to Alaves on Friday night.
Sevilla were 2-0 behind on the hour at Estadio de Mendizorroza and were unable to find a leveller in the latter stages despite Dodi Lukebakio halving the deficit in the 83rd minute.
Los Nervionenses finished 14th in Spain's top flight last season, which proved to be their worst position since being relegated at the end of the 2000-01 campaign.
The early signs are that it could be another difficult season for Sevilla, but they are unbeaten against Real Valladolid in La Liga since December 2012 and will therefore be confident of picking up a positive result here.
That said, four of the last five La Liga matches between these two sides have finished level, including a 1-1 draw in the corresponding contest during the 2022-23 campaign.
Real Valladolid's last success over Sevilla was a 2-1 win at Estadio Ramon in 2012, but they will enter this match off the back of a positive result, having held Real Sociedad to a goalless draw on Saturday.
Paulo Pezzolano's side won their opening league game of the season against Espanyol, but they have only picked up two points from their last five games, with that run including a 7-0 loss to Barcelona.
The White and Violets finished second in last season's Segunda Division to secure a return to this level of football, and they will be aiming to make it back-to-back top-flight campaigns for the first time since 2021.
Real Valladolid have the worst defensive record in La Liga this season, although seven of their 13 goals conceded came in one match against Barcelona; Sevilla, meanwhile, have struggled in the final third this term, only managing five goals in their six top-flight fixtures.
Team News
Sevilla will be without the services of four players through injury on Tuesday, with Djibril Sow, Isaac Romero, Marcao and Albert Sambi Lokonga unavailable for selection.
Romero is facing at least a month out with the ankle problem that he suffered against Alaves, and his absence should open the door for Kelechi Iheanacho to come in for a start.
Juanlu Sanchez will also be back in the squad after serving a suspension, and he could be introduced at right-back, while Sow's unavailability in midfield might see Nemanja Gudelj start.
As for Real Valladolid, Anuar Tuhami is still out with a hernia issue, but the visitors could welcome Javi Sanchez back from injury, while Mario Martin is available following a suspension.
Cenk Ozkacar was forced off early against Real Sociedad and is unlikely to start, so there could be a spot at the back for David Torres, while Kike Perez could be introduced to freshen the midfield.
The visitors played a 4-5-1 formation against Real Sociedad and that is again expected to be the case in this match, with Juanmi Latasa set to operate through the middle.
Sevilla possible starting lineup:
Nyland; Sanchez, Nianzou, Salas, Pedrosa; Gudelj, Agoume, Saul; Lukebakio, Iheanacho, Fernandez
Real Valladolid possible starting lineup:
Hein; Perez, Bah, Torres, Rosa; Machis, Meseguer, Perez, Juric, Moro; Latasa
We say: Sevilla 1-1 Real Valladolid
Sevilla are a difficult team to back at the moment, but the same can also be said for Real Valladolid. Four of the last five league meetings between these two sides have finished 1-1, and we are backing the same scoreline to occur on Tuesday night.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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