Sevilla vs Espanyol predictions and match preview for Thursday’s LaLiga fixture. Read on for analysis, team news and predicted lineups as the hosts aim to get back to winning ways.
| Date | Thursday 4th May 2023 |
| Kick-Off | 19:30 (CEST) |
| Stadium | Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan |
| Competition | LaLiga |
Sevilla vs Espanyol Preview
Sevilla are back at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan on Thursday, hoping to get back to winning ways after suffering their first defeat under José Luis Mendilibar last time out. They still have an outside shot of snatching a European place via the league but they really need to win this against relegation-threatened Espanyol.
Perhaps it was inevitable that Sevilla would suffer an off day eventually, but things had been going so well under Mendilibar that Monday’s 2-0 home loss against Girona was a surprise. The scoreline wasn’t a completely fair reflection of the game though with another pretty strong showing overall, but the Catalans were the more clinical side on the night.
There is a fair bit of depth to this Sevilla squad still, even if the overall level of the first team isn’t what it was in previous years. They have the likes of Jesus Navas, Bono, Oliver Torres, Ivan Rakitic, Suso and Erik Lamela who were all left on the bench against Girona and could potentially rotate in here. It’s Sevilla’s final game before the trip to play Juventus in the Europa League next week and another home victory would be a good send-off ahead of that tie.
Espanyol meanwhile won their first game under new management in their last outing. Their 1-0 victory over Getafe was a much needed boost for Luis Garcia and his struggling team with Joselu’s penalty deciding the game. Their next game is the derby against local rivals Barcelona who’ll win the title with three points, so some form of result still feels like a necessity for Espanyol here.
Their run-in is quite tough overall and they need to somehow find a way to still be alive heading into the final weekend when they host relegation rivals Almeria, by far their most winnable remaining match. While the decision to replace Diego Martinez remains questionable, there have at least been a few positives over the past week with a bright performance from youngster Nico Melamed one of the main takeaways from the win over Getafe.
Team News & Possible Lineups
Sevilla
| INJURED | Marcao, Jordan, Nianzou |
| DOUBTFUL | |
| BANNED |
Possible XI: Dmitrovic – Telles, Gudelj, Bade, Navas – Rakitic, Gueye – Lamela, Suso, Oliver – En Nesyri (4-2-3-1)
Coach: José Luis Mendilibar
Espanyol
| INJURED | Gragera |
| DOUBTFUL | |
| BANNED | Braithwaite |
Possible XI: Pacheco – Cabrera, Gomez, Montes – Pedrosa, Suarez, Darder, Melamed, Gil – Puado, Joselu (3-5-2)
Coach: Luis Garcia
Score Prediction: Sevilla 2-1 Espanyol
Espanyol have lost their last five away games, despite scoring in every one of them, and that has largely been the story of their season. They certainly have enough in the final third to ask questions of Sevilla here, but Mendilibar’s men have been much the more convincing team of late overall and a home win looks likely.
PLEASE NOTE – Our LaLiga predictions and previews are not betting tips! No profits are guaranteed if you’re using them to bet on Spanish football. If you are gambling, do so responsibly and never stake more than you can afford to lose. BeGambleAware.
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