After one league win in three, Real Madrid have lost some of their ascendency in the La Liga title race.
In their final league outing before heading into the winter break, Carlo Ancelotti’s men host Sevilla at the Bernabéu on Sunday, December 22nd, looking to finish the year on a high.
How the bookies view it: Los Blancos Firm Favourites
Real Madrid are as short as 1/3 odds to pick up the victory in Sunday’s game as they look for their third straight home league win. Their opponents Sevilla are in mid-table and have been hampered by extremely poor away form this season, leaving them as big 17/2 underdogs.
Recent head-to-head: Little change for Sevilla
The last time that Sevilla recorded a league win over Real Madrid was in September 2018. Since then, they have gone eleven meetings with Real without picking up a victory, losing seven of those. At the Bernabeu, Real Madrid have won their last three on the spin against Sevilla, not losing a home game to them in the top flight since 2008.
Players to watch: Bellingham firing in front of goal
Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham has been on a rich run of form in front of goal, scoring in each of his last six La Liga appearances. That makes him a decent look from a 2/1 quote in the Anytime Goalscorer market for the match.
Another is Rodrygo, who has scored two goals in Real Madrid’s last three against Sevilla. He was also on the scoresheet last weekend in Real Madrid’s thrilling 3-3 tie at Rayo Vallecano and again in midweek with a goal against Pachuca in the FIFA Club World Cup.
Predicted Lineups
Real Madrid has Vinicius Jr suspended for this match, while they are going through a long-term injury situation with Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao and David Alaba. Sevilla’s Jesus Navas will retire after this game, so will likely get in the action. Sevilla have injury concerns over Djibril Sow and Tanguy Nianzou.
Real Madrid: Courtois, Vazquez, Tchouameni, Rudiger, Garcia, Modric, Bellingham, Camavinga, Diaz, Rodrygo, Vinicius.
Sevilla: Alvaro Fernandez, Montiel, Bade, Gudelj, Kike Salas; Manu Bueno, Agoume, Saul; Jesus Navas, Iheanacho, Lukebakio
Anything else catches the eye?
Real Madrid have posted a W7 L1 record on home turf this season in La Liga, where they have been mean at the back. They have conceded under a goal per game, taking a clean sheet in 62% of home fixtures. In attack, Real Madrid have averaged 2.5 goals per home game, arguably not quite as high as expected.
It is worth expecting at least one goal at each end because both teams have scored in six of the last seven league meetings at either venue. Sevilla have been to Barcelona and Atlético Madrid this season, the other teams who are currently inside the top three, and while they lost both, each of those games went over 4.5 goals.
A win for Sevilla looks way out of the question as they have posted only a W1 D3 L4 record on their travels this season. Also, home and away combined, they have failed to win any of their seven matches played against teams inside the top eight this season, losing four of those.
This La Liga match between Real Madrid and Sevilla will be played on Dec 22, 2024 and kick off at 15:15. Check below for our tipsters best Real Madrid vs Sevilla prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
