SEVILLA have turned a corner in La Liga after a horror start to the season and will be hoping to take that improvement into the European arena as they kick off the knockout stages of the Europa League with a visit from PSV Eindhoven.
Having won just once in their first 12 games this season, Sevilla have now lost only two games in their last 12, with one of those defeats coming against Barcelona on a decent night for our man Gabriel.
Former Argentina boss Jorge Sampaoli has got them motoring again in his second spell at the club and fans will be dreaming of another Europa League triumph if they can see off PSV to reach the last 16.
Nobody does this tournament better than Sevilla and they've lifted the Europa League trophy a record six times, with all of those triumphs coming since 2006.
But PSV Eindhoven have the firepower to knock Sampaoli's side out if they're not at their best, despite losing star man Cody Gakpo to Liverpool during the January transfer window.
Ruud van Nistelrooy's men sit fourth in the Eredivisie but are still in the title hunt, trailing leaders Feyenoord by just four points in a thrilling race for glory in the Netherlands.
PSV have lost just once in their last five matches and warmed up for this tie by smashing six past Groningen at the weekend, with six different scorers underlining the depth of their attacking threat.
How the bookies view it
There's not much between these sides but VBet make PSV Eindhoven 4/5 favourites to qualify, with Sevilla at 13/12. The tables are turned for the first leg in Spain, though, with the La Liga side 5/4 with Unibet and Van Nistelrooy's men at 12/5 with SBK. The first-leg draw pays 37/15 with VBet.
Head to head
Despite both these sides having long and illustrious histories in European football, this is the first time they have faced off in a competitive game.
Players to watch
Youssef En-Nesyri is enjoying one of the best seasons of his career after helping Morocco make history in their march to the World Cup semi-final. He has 12 goals for club and country this term and is 15/8 at William Hill to add to that tally here.
Xavi Simons caught my eye in the group stage as PSV finished runners-up to Arsenal. The 19-year-old netted at the weekend to take his tally for the season to 12 and is a tempting 10/3 at Paddy Power for anytime scorer.
Anything else catch the eye?
Going for goals backfired on me when PSV faced Arsenal in the group stage, despite the stats suggesting a thriller. So I'm going to bet on a cagier game here, especially with a second leg to come back in the Netherlands. Under 2.5 goals is a best 10/11 with Bet365.
Nemanja Gudelj is usually decent value for a card and the Serb has collected 10 yellows so far this season. It could pay to back Gudelj adding another to his collection when the bookies finally price that market up.
Both these sides rack up a few corners and that makes over nine corners worth a look at 5/4 with Bet365.
This UEFA Europa League match between Sevilla and PSV Eindhoven will be played on Feb 16, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Sevilla vs PSV Eindhoven prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
