Sevilla will take on Villarreal on Friday night in what will be the hosts' first match in front of their home fans so far this season.
Last weekend, Sevilla kicked off their season with a 2-2 draw away at Las Palmas in a match that they led twice. The result here will determine whether that away draw will be seen as a good result or not.
Villarreal also played out a 2-2 draw in their opening fixture. The Yellow Submarine took on Atletico Madrid and like Sevilla, also led twice in the match. They will be looking to follow that up with another positive result on Friday.
How the bookies view it: Sevilla go in as favourites
Sevilla are the favourites to win this one with the bookies but they haven't been priced overly short, which reflects the notion that Villarreal are capable of getting something from this match. Betfred have priced a Sevilla win at 11/8 while a win for Villarreal has been priced at 2/1. The draw, which would keep both teams ticking over, has been priced at 12/5.
Recent head-to-head: Nothing to split them
Recent matches between these two clubs have illustrated just how closely match they are. Both clubs have enjoyed one victory apiece over the last five meetings with the other three all finishing in draws. Interestingly, there hasn't been an away win in this fixture since 2019 when Villarreal defeated Sevilla 2-1 at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium.
Players to watch: Two debuts are expected
Saul Niguez may only be a loan signing for Sevilla but the midfielder is the most exciting player that the club have managed to get through the door this summer. Saul missed the match with Las Palmas due to the red card he picked up in his final match for Atletico Madrid last summer but it expected to make his debut this weekend.
Saul, who has played for Atletico for much of his career, will see this move to Sevilla a chance to rejuvenate his career after a couple of years of stagnation in the capital.
Villarreal are also expected to hand a debut to the player they spent the most money on this summer, Luiz Junior. The goalkeeper has signed from Famalicao in Portugal and is expected to grow straight into the starting XI.
Predicted line-ups
Both teams are dealing with early-season injuries and none of the players that missed out last week will be back in time for this one. Sevilla are without Suso and Albert Lokonga while Villarreal are missing Denis Suarez, Juan Foyth and Alfonso Pedraza.
Sevilla: Nyland – Carmona, Gudelj, Nianzou, Pedrosa – Agoume, Sow – Ocampos, Saul, J Sanchez – Romero
Villarreal: Junior – Femenia, Albiol, Bailly, Cardona – Parejo, Pino, Comesana, Baena – Moreno, Danjuma
Anything else catch the eye?
Both teams were involved in high-scoring 2-2 matches on the opening weekend of the new La Liga season while their most recent H2H finished 3-2 to Villarreal. Goals should be expected again here and over 2.5 goals has been priced at 4/5 with Betfred.
This La Liga match between Sevilla and Villarreal will be played on Aug 23, 2024 and kick off at 20:30. Check below for our tipsters best Sevilla vs Villarreal prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
