02 December 2021, 16:04 | 28 August 2021, 15:29
Sevilla FC takes on Villarreal CF at 14:00 (GMT+1) on Saturday, December 4, at the Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán on LaLiga Santander Matchday 16.
Preview Sevilla La Liga, Dec 4, 2021
Preview Sevilla picked up a 1-0 win over Segunda División B side, Córdoba CF, in Wednesday’s Copa del Rey fixture. A single strike from Lucas Ocampos (108’) eventually decided the outcome of the game. Back in LaLiga, Sevilla failed to move into the top three and trail the section by a point following the 2-1 defeat to Real Madrid on Matchday 15. The visitors, Sevilla, got off to a fine start with a goal from Rafa Mir (12’) inside the first fifteen minutes. Unmarked, an intelligent header from Mir put Los Nervionenses in the lead. A minute later, Mir had a go at it once again, hoping to bag the brace, but a goal-line clearance kept the scoreline the same. Minutes before the break, Ocampos crashed an effort at the crossbar, before Karim Benzema (32') tucked away a rebound and restored parity at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu. But the real moment of quality that separated both sides came in the final minutes. Red-hot Vinicius Jnr. (87') had a Sevilla shirt beaten before slipping away from another with the drop-shoulder for a fantastic 20-yard stunner. Unable to find their way back, Sevilla picked up their first defeat in five games, DWWDL, and slipped one spot down from 3rd to 4th place. The club has 28 points from 8W, 4D, and 2L, coupled with a game in hand. Known for the 4—3—3, despite being an advocate of squad rotation, Julen Lopetegui’s attacking trio could see Mir, Ocampos, and Papu Gómez upfront once again. Suso and Erik Lamela remain doubtful, while Youssef En-Nesyri is ruled out for this fixture.
Preview Villarreal La Liga, Dec 4, 2021
Preview Villarreal are off the back of an emphatic 8-0 victory over Victoria CF in Tuesday’s Copa del Rey fixture. Back on LaLiga soil, the Yellow Submarine picked up a 3-1 defeat to Barcelona last Saturday but held on to 12th place on the table, despite failing to earn a point. Unai Emery’s side has 16 points from 3W, 7D, & 4L, and return with the form: DLWDL, ahead of this fixture against Sevilla. A lack of conviction trails Villarreal, and Unai Emery’s side must work on creating clear-cut chances in the final third. Despite having a slight numerical advantage over Barcelona (51% ball possession, 411 passes), Villarreal had only two shots [out of 14] on target, converting once, while Barcelona (49% BP, 409P) had six shots on target from twelve. - With both sides having a 50% conversion rate. Unai is expected to mirror Lopetegui’s 4—3—3 formation on Saturday. Villarreal has no injury worries ahead of this game against Sevilla.