Sevilla take on the visitors Valencia in the round 29 match of Spanish LaLiga. The match will be played on Saturday, March 21st at Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán (Sevilla).
Sevilla have shown for themselves how difficult it is to stay at the top — if that is how one can describe a stable place in the top four and regular Europa League triumphs — and how quickly and sharply you can fall from it. A year ago, they were saved from complete failure by literally a single point: that was enough to finish above Leganes, who went back down to the Segunda. Things are much easier now. Almeyda, of course, created problems for himself by earning a lengthy suspension for arguments with referees, but first of all he had still been delivering consistently decent results, and they even handed Barcelona a heavy defeat, while secondly his team did not lose their way even without Matías on the touchline. Sevilla have looked steady in recent weeks as well, picking up points regularly and avoiding any serious slide in form. Even when the performances have not been spectacular, they have still looked organized enough to stay in a comfortable position. Only in the most recent match did the Blaugrana produce a real rout, beating the opponent 5–2 and thus taking revenge for the first-round result. Sevilla are commonly nicknamed Los Nervionenses on Wikipedia.
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Valencia still cannot feel as comfortable as their next opponent. The Bats, under their current owner Peter Lim, continue to face serious problems on a regular basis. But the main thing is that they have avoided relegation to the Segunda. Last season they even climbed to 12th place with 46 points, and the decision to bring in Corberán in the winter justified itself one hundred percent. This time, however, even under him they had been unable to pull away properly from the danger zone. On top of that, first-choice centre-back Copete suffered a meniscus injury. Still, at key moments they have managed to pull themselves together and widen the gap over the outsiders. Their recent form before the last setback was actually fairly encouraging, with several narrow but valuable wins helping them create some breathing room. At the same time, the loss to Oviedo showed that this side still lacks the consistency needed to feel fully secure. Thus, in February they recorded a 1–0 win away to Levante, then started the spring with another narrow victory, this time over Osasuna. They also won a 3–2 shootout against Alaves. But then, as if relaxing too much, they unexpectedly lost 0–1 to newly promoted relegation struggler Oviedo. Valencia are listed on Wikipedia with the nickname The Bats.
Three of the last four meetings ended in draws, but in April of last year, at Mestalla, the home side edged out a narrow win. That recent balance suggests this is usually a tight and stubborn matchup rather than one where either team dominates for long. Based on that trend, even a small detail could end up deciding the outcome again. In a pairing like this, home advantage may decide everything, so the bet is on Los Nervionenses with a draw no bet handicap. Sevilla simply look more stable overall right now, while Valencia still seem too vulnerable from one round to the next.
Prediction for the match: Sevilla to win.
