It took a while, but in Spain the ball will finally roll again. However, there is no time to get back into it, the return of Spanish football starts with a great spectacle in the Andalusian capital. Which of these perennial arch-rivals is pulling the longest in ‘El Derbi Sevillano’?
Seville:
The coach of Julen Lopetegui’s Sevilla was the most stable team of La Liga after Barcelona and Real Madrid this season and that is reflected in the rankings. With 47 points, the red and white formation occupies a neat third place in the rankings and securing a ticket for the Champions League is still the aim for this season. The Sevillistas managed to parry attacks from direct competitors Atlético Madrid and Getafe before the competition was stopped, and the favorable remaining program of the Andalusians offers enough perspective to secure at least a fourth place.
An important factor in the stable performance of Seville was the creativity and scoring ability of Lucas Ocampos. The Argentinian crowned himself as club top scorer in the first 27 rounds, but this weekend there is a good chance that Ocampos cannot be present. A big loss for Lopetegui and his men, especially considering that the club suffered a loss of points in no less than four of the five games in which the 25-year-old winger did not play. Former Barcelona player Munir El Haddadi will reportedly fill the vacant position.
Betis :
As good as the season went for the perennial arch rival, the period before the Corona crisis for Real Betis was so disappointing. The club with the eighth budget of the league has yet to settle for a meager twelfth place in the ranking. Although the team of coach Joan Francesc Ferrer went into the break with a positive feeling after the 2-1 home win over Real Madrid, it seems an almost impossible task to secure European football after all. The difference with the crucial seventh place is no less than nine points and the remaining program of Los Béticos is not exactly easy to call.
One of the most painful moments in the first phase of the season was the home loss against Sevilla, Luuk de Jong scored the winning goal in the Benito Villamarín (1-2). The green-and-white formation of trainer Rubi will be only too happy to take revenge and the fact that there is no public present at this absolute cracker is certainly not wrong with Real Betis. It will not be easy, of course, and the southerners have not been able to win six away games in a row.
PREDICTION: Sevilla to win @ 1,87
