Villarreal vs Sevilla prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2022-09-17 14:15.
It may not have been convincing, but it was job done for Villarreal in the UEFA Europa Conference League on Thursday, edging out Hapoel Be'er Sheva 2-1 to keep up their 100% UECL group stage winning record. That European victory was the perfect way to bounce back from their first La Liga (LL) defeat of the season against Real Betis last weekend (1-0), a result which even after that win in midweek, Villarreal boss Unai Emery admits āstill hurtsā.
Taking that pain away against Sevilla appears a realistic possibility given Villarreal are unbeaten in the last four home H2Hs and have started this LL season strongly (W3, D1, L1). However, there is a twist, with Villarrealās Estadio de la Ceramica undergoing a renovation, the āhostsā now find themselves playing at Levanteās Ciutat de Valencia, yet Emeryās side havenāt been deterred, winning all three games there this season and scoring four goals in each.
Sevilla were in midweek European action themselves, making the long trip to Denmark to face Copenhagen in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) and coming away with a respectable 0-0 draw. Like Sevillaās UCL form (D1, L1), their LL start leaves much to be desired (W1, D1, L3), but in spite of that, club president Pepe Castro insists Julen Lopeteguiās job is āsafeā.
The dreaded vote of confidence so often leads to a sacking further down the line, but a 3-2 victory over Espanyol last weekend may just have bought Lopetegui some time after Sevilla fans chanted for his resignation in the LL game prior, a 3-0 defeat against Barcelona. Securing back-to-back LL victories for only the second time this year would undoubtedly aid Lopeteguiās bid to win the fans over, or failing that he could get around the travelling Sevilla faithful with some free beer as they received in Copenhagen on Wednesday!
Players to watch: Villarrealās Dani Parejo is yet to get off the mark for the season, but only against Celta Vigo (eight) has he scored more often in La Liga than against Sevilla (five). Keep an eye on youth sensation JosĆ© Ćngel Carmona, who proved the match winner against Espanyol with two first-half strikes.
Hot stat: Five of Sevillaās six LL goals this season have come in the first half.