Sevilla vs Villarreal prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2023-12-02 17:30.
Diego Alonso's wait for his first win against a top flight club as Sevilla manager was stretched further during the week when poor discipline cost his ten-man side dearly against PSV (L 3-2). They remain rooted to the bottom of their UEFA Champions League group as a result, and now start this La Liga (LL) round just four points above the relegation zone, just a two-point improvement when compared with the day of Alonso's appointment.
It’s little wonder why the speculation about his job security has already begun then, particularly as he’s the fourth man to be in charge of Sevilla since the start of October 2022. They should be confident of taking at least one point from Villarreal though, at least based on a five-game LL unbeaten run at home (two wins followed by three draws), but another failure to win may raise some uncomfortable conversations at the club’s upcoming annual general meeting.
Villarreal are just three points in front of Sevilla but are on a definitive rise under Marcelino who has returned for his second stint with the club. Four wins from their last five games in all competitions (L1) have secured their progression through both the UEFA Europa League and Copa del Rey, whilst they leapfrogged Osasuna with a 3-1 win at home to them last weekend.
Whilst their last three visits to face Sevilla were all losing ones, they have appeared to perform well against lower ranked clubs this term as almost all of Villarreal’s points have come against the clubs ranked beneath them in the standings at the start of this round. That includes wins away to Mallorca (1-0) and Granada (3-2) which should raise confidence but with fixtures against Sociedad and Real Madrid just around the corner, they need to make the most of this opportunity.
Players to watch: His goal last weekend didn’t earn his club any points, but Youssef En-Nesyri shouldn’t forget that he delivered a stoppage time winner at home to Villarreal last season. For the visitors, José Luis Morales’ purple patch seems to have come out of nowhere as after more than seven months without scoring, he’s amassed six goals across three different competitions, including a hat-trick in their last LL outing.
Hot stat: The pre-match favourite has won just 37% of LL matches involving either club this season (W10, D9, L8).