Today in the Spanish league, two teams will compete for places in European tournaments. In the match taking place in Seville, fourth-placed "Villarreal" will visit "Sevilla" and try to revive hopes of reaching the top four and securing a place in next year's Champions League. "Eurofootball.com" presents a preview of these matches.
"Sevilla" vs "Villarreal"
Match time and location: March 13 at 17:00 at the "Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan" stadium in Seville;
Referee: Carlos Velasco Carballo;
Head-to-head history: "Sevilla" won 17 matches, 8 ended in draws, and "Villareal" celebrated victory 8 times;
Team form: "Sevilla" (1 win, 2 draws, 2 losses), "Villarreal" (2 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss);
Current situation: After 28 rounds, "Villarreal" has 53 points and occupies fourth place. "Sevilla" with 45 points is in sixth place.
Team news:
"Sevilla":
"Sevilla" has been struggling to collect points away from home this season, but at home they are strong and find it difficult for opponents, as teams like "Real" and "Barcelona" have left Seville without points. In order to fight for the fourth place and a ticket to next year's Champions League, they cannot afford to lose at home to the team currently holding that position.
Recently, three players from this team have been injured - midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak and defenders Marco Andreolli and Nicolas Pareja. However, the latter has returned to training and should rejoin the squad soon.
"Villarreal":
Just two rounds ago, "Villarreal" had a 10-point lead over their closest pursuers and felt comfortable in fourth place. After two unsuccessful rounds, during which they only collected one point and a loss to "Sevilla," they now have only five points ahead of this team with nine games left.
Two injured players, Jonathan Dos Santos and Samuel, will definitely not be able to help "Villarreal." All other players should be ready for Sunday's match.
Key facts ahead of this match:
In the first match between these teams in the tenth round, "Villarreal" won 2:1 at home;
Although "Sevilla" lost the first two home matches of the season, they have won twelve consecutive games at their stadium since then;
The last three away games for "Villarreal" ended in the same score - 0:0;
In the past eight home matches, "Sevilla" has conceded only two goals;
Both teams are still competing in the Europa League. On Thursday, "Villarreal" won 2:0 at home against "Bayer," while "Sevilla" played a 0:0 draw away against "Basel";
"Villarreal" is the team with the fewest shots in the "Primera" league. They shoot only 8.8 times per game.
Tautvydas Sakalauskas
