Afghanistan
Angola
Argentina
Asia (AFC)
Asian Games
Australia
Belgium-Netherlands
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Central American & Caribbean Games
Central American Games
Congo DR
Denmark
England
Europe (UEFA)
FYR Macedonia
Finland
Germany
Greece
International Tournaments
Italy
Mediterranean Games
Mexico
National
Nepal
North & Central America (Concacaf)
Palestine
Pan American Games
Panama
Russia
Scandinavia
Serbia And Montenegro
South American Games
Spain
Syria
USA
Venezuela
World (FIFA)
Yemen
Zimbabwe

Preview: Sevilla vs. Rayo Vallecano - prediction, team news, lineups

sportsmole.co.uk, 5 October 2023, 09:09
Sevilla will be bidding to return to winning ways in Spain's top flight when they welcome Rayo Vallecano to Estadio Ramon on Saturday evening.

The home side have made an underwhelming start to the season, only picking up seven points from seven matches to sit down in 15th position in the La Liga table, while Rayo are up in eighth position, collecting 12 points from their first first eight games of 2023-24.

Match preview

Sevilla finished fourth in La Liga three times in a row between 2020 and 2022, but they were 12th last season and only qualified for the group stage of the Champions League by winning the Europa League.

Los Nervionenses have also struggled to really take off in La Liga this season, boasting a record of two wins, one draw and four defeats from their seven matches to collect seven points, which has left them down in 15th position in the table heading into the next set of fixtures.

Sevilla have only lost one of their last six matches in all competitions, though, which proved to be a 1-0 defat at Barcelona last Friday, with an own goal from Sergio Ramos deciding the clash with the champions.

Jose Luis Mendilibar's side were then in Champions League action on Tuesday evening, playing out a 2-2 draw with PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands, with the result leaving them third in Group B on two points.

Sevilla are actually winless in their last three league games with Rayo, and they suffered a 1-0 defeat to the capital outfit in the corresponding match during the 2022-23 campaign.

Rayo, meanwhile, will enter this match off the back of a 2-2 draw with Mallorca, with Radamel Falcao scoring a penalty in the 12th minute of added time at the end of the 90 to secure a share of the spoils.

Francisco's side will bring a four-game unbeaten run into this contest, but three of those matches have been draws, sharing the points in their last three with Villarreal, Cadiz and Mallorca.

A record of three wins, three draws and two defeats from eight matches this season has seen the capital outfit collect 12 points to sit in eighth position in the table.

Rayo have finished 12th and 11th in their last two campaigns at this level, and it would not be a surprise to see them in a similar spot come the end of the season.

Los Franjirrojos have only scored nine times in the league this term, which is a low number in relation to their position in the table, and the fact that Falcao is their only striker to score a La Liga goal this season is slightly concerning heading into a busy period before the end of the year.

Sevilla La Liga form:

L

L

W

D

W

L

Sevilla form (all competitions):

W

D

D

W

L

D

Rayo Vallecano La Liga form:

L

L

W

D

D

D

Advert - content below:

Team News

Sevilla will be missing four players through injury for this match, with Erik Lamela, Marcao, Tanguy Nianzou and Alfonso Pastor on the sidelines.

Youssef En-Nesyri returned from injury to score against PSV in the Champions League during the week, and the Morocco international is now expected to be brought back into the side in La Liga.

Juanlu Sanchez, Loic Bade and Joan Jordan could also be introduced following the European affair, while Oliver Torres is battling Suso to feature as the number 10 this weekend.

As for Rayo, Randy Nteka remains unavailable for selection due to a muscular problem, with the attacker likely to be absent until the end of the month.

The visitors will be able to recall Khalid Abdul Mumin, though, as the defender has served the suspension that saw him ruled out of the clash with Mallorca last time out.

Falcao came off the bench to score against Mallorca, but he is unlikely to be considered for a start, with Sergio Camello again likely to be given the nod in the final third of the field.

Sevilla possible starting lineup:

Nyland; Juanlu, Bade, Ramos, Pedrosa; Jordan, Sow; Ocampos, O Torres, Lukebakio; En-Nesyri

Rayo Vallecano possible starting lineup:

Dimitrievski; Balliu, Mumin, Lejeune, Espino; U Lopez, Ciss; Palazon, Perez, A Garcia; Camello

We say: Sevilla 2-1 Rayo Vallecano

Sevilla are struggling to win at the moment, but they are not losing many, and there is certainly enough quality in the squad for the team to rise up the table in the coming weeks. Rayo will be the fresher of the two sides, but we are expecting the hosts to navigate their way to an important win here.

Previews by email

Top News

14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England moved to the top of their 2024-25 UEFA Nations League group on Thursday evening courtesy of a 3-0 victory over Greece. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Didier Deschamps was left frustrated on Thursday as his France side failed to capitalise on their dominance against Israel, being held to a 0-0 draw, though they still progressed to the UEFA Nations League quarterfinals after Italy beat Belgium in the other League A Group 2 fixture. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England have risen to the top of Group 2 of League B in the UEFA Nations League courtesy of a 3-0 victory over Greece in Athens on Thursday night. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Sandro Tonali's first international goal was enough to send Italy through to the finals of the UEFA Nations League courtesy of a 1-0 win away in Belgium this evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea Women and Manchester City Women will go head-to-head in Saturday's top-of-the-table clash at Stamford Bridge. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Pep Guardiola has asked Manchester City to sign two defenders in 2025, according to a report. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Al-Nassr centre-back Aymeric Laporte has said that he is open to making the move to Real Madrid. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona sporting director Deco has said that his club are not planning to be active during the January transfer window. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Moldova can boost their hopes of securing promotion from League D Group 2 in the UEFA Nations League when they face fellow European minnows Andorra at Estadi Nacional on Saturday. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Montenegro welcome Iceland to Stadion Kraj Bistrice in Niksic for their penultimate League B Group 4 fixture in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal Women and Tottenham Hotspur Women will be looking to secure derby bragging rights when they face off in Saturday's Women's Super League clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Nacho has ruled out the possibility of returning to Real Madrid amid suggestions that Los Blancos were considering making an attempt to re-sign him during the January transfer window. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two teams with contrasting objectives in the National League are set to meet at the Gateshead International Stadium on Saturday, as promotion hopefuls Gateshead host relegation-threatened Aldershot Town. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Ruben Amorim will reportedly take Manchester United training for the first time on Monday, with the club confident that his visa will have arrived in time for him to officially get on the grass next week. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni has said that a back issue forced Lisandro Martinez to pull out of the squad for the national team's upcoming 2026 World Cup qualification matches with Paraguay and Peru. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso has reportedly set his sights on an exit from the club next summer, and plans to take key man Alex Grimaldo with him. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Locked together at the top of League C Group 1 with two games to play, Sweden and Slovakia will battle it out to take the outright lead when they meet on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal will reportedly allow out-of-favour defender Jakub Kiwior to leave the club on loan in January. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Wales travel to the Kadir Has Stadium in Kayseri to face Turkey in their penultimate League B Group 4 fixture in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona midfielder Pablo Torre has not ruled out the possibility of leaving the club in January, after seeing his game time reduced recently. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to narrow their gap to the top two in the League One table with a third consecutive victory, Barnsley will visit the Abbey Stadium to take on Cambridge United on Saturday. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Alexander Isak has delivered a fresh update on his future at Newcastle United, amid reported interest from a number of clubs including Arsenal. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk West Ham United Women will attempt to claim back-to-back victories when they travel to the Broadfield Stadium for Saturday's Women's Super League meeting with Brighton & Hove Albion Women. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Roma have confirmed the appointment of 73-year-old Claudio Ranieri as their new first-team manager until the end of the season. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon has revealed that he was "desperate" to join Chelsea in 2022. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal could rival Manchester City and Liverpool for the signature of Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool are reportedly weighing up whether to make a move for in-form PSV Eindhoven striker Ricardo Pepi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk As exquisite as Pedro Neto's equaliser was, the Portuguese's 20-yard leveller for Chelsea in Sunday's 1-1 Premier League draw with Arsenal was arguably more to do with the Gunners' uncharacteristic defensive failings. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona have reportedly made a decision over whether they will pursue a move for Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Estevao Willian has revealed that he will continue with his education even after completing a big-money transfer to Chelsea.