Sevilla vs Villarreal prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2023-04-22 19:00.
Shortly after booking their first Europa League semi-final appearance since 2019/20 courtesy of a stunning 3-0 win over Manchester United, the third of seven games in 23 days for Sevilla will see them attempt to ride that momentum towards avoiding an increasingly unlikely relegation. Tasked with preserving Sevilla’s La Liga (LL) status on an four-month interim contract, José Luis Mendilibar crafted their most profitable three-game period of the LL season (W2, D1) to open up an eight-point cushion to the drop zone going into this round.
That’s already a six-point improvement on the cushion held prior to Mendilibar’s appointment, but the job is far from done as the opposition is set to get tougher than the three bottom-half clubs recently faced. Six of Sevilla’s final nine games are against clubs starting this round in the top ten, including Villarreal, and a continuation of their winless record (D4, L10) against such teams could yet make the fans nervous again.
Villarreal played out one of those four draws – notably all with a 1-1 scoreline – during one of their two four-game winless periods of the LL season. Those days seemed to be well behind them after winning five of their six league games prior to last round’s shock loss at home to Valladolid (2-1) that kept them in sixth place, albeit with fourth place still within reach.
Manager Quique Setién proclaimed that his team “deserved to win” but “weren't as inspired in front of goal” after finding the back of the net at least twice from those five aforementioned recent wins. Setién also stressed the importance of a clean sheet, but considering that’s something his side have achieved in just three of their last 11 LL outings, inspiration in front of goal likely holds the key to victory.
Players to watch: Sevilla defender Loïc Badé continues to be amongst the action, registering LL and UEL goals in the last week after four consecutive competitive bookings across March and April. José Luis Morales is on a streak of his own: four consecutive away LL goalscoring appearances, the last three of which saw him score after half-time.
Hot streak: Villarreal have scored 15 goals without reply after the 75th minute this LL season.