Real Madrid will be looking for their fourth La Liga win in a row when they travel to Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan to face Sevilla on Sunday.
The visitors sit at the top of the table heading into the weekend, while Sevilla have also been in good form recently after a slow start to the campaign.
Sevilla
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Sevilla needed six matches in the Spanish top flight before securing their first win of the season, but Unai Emery's side have been improving over the last month, with three wins in their last five outings.
The Europa League champions have climbed up to 11th in the table, but have been beaten twice in the last week, losing 2-1 to Villarreal before being beaten 3-1 in a Champions League match against Manchester City on Tuesday.
The team's improved results in recent weeks have been helped by Kevin Gameiro's form in front of goal, with the striker netting five goals in his last five appearances in La Liga. Sevilla have the eighth-best attack in the division this season, netting 14 goals in 10 outings.
Defending has been a struggle at times for this weekend's hosts though, as they have kept just two clean sheets so far this season, while conceding 14 goals. Sevilla's 5-0 win over Getafe last month gave them their only clean sheet in their last nine matches in the league.
Sevilla have played their best football at home this season, winning three of their five fixtures at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, while scoring 11 of their 14 goals on home soil.
Recent form: LWWDWL
Recent form (all competitions): WDLWLL
Real Madrid
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Real Madrid will be looking to maintain their hold on top spot in the Spanish top flight, as they sit level on points with Barcelona but with a much stronger goal difference.
Rafael Benitez's side have won their last three league matches, including last weekend's 3-1 victory over newly-promoted Las Palmas, which also keeps them unbeaten in the league this season.
Like their opponents, Real have also been in Champions League action this week, securing a narrow 1-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain. However, all the talk following that match has been about the blackmail case involving Karim Benzema and Lyon winger Mathieu Valbuena, which has resulted in the Real striker remaining in France and appearing in court.
Although Real's attack has been hindered by injuries to James Rodriguez and Gareth Bale this season, Cristiano Ronaldo has been in strong form in recent weeks, scoring in his last three appearances in the league, while Marcelo and Jese Rodriguez also have two goals each from the last three fixtures.
Despite the absence of Bale and James, Real have the best goal-scoring record in La Liga so far this season, scoring 24 times – twice more than Barcelona, who have the next best total.
Benitez's side also have the strongest defence, conceding just four goals while keeping six clean sheets – the same number as Valencia, who have let in three more goals.
Recent form: WDDWWW
Recent form (all competitions): DWDWWW
Team News
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The visitors are expected to be without Benzema, who has not trained since being arrested earlier this week, having only returned to Spain on Thursday afternoon. Real should have Bale and Daniel Carvajal available though, as they have both been back in training.
Marcelo is likely to miss out after suffering a hamstring spasm in the match against PSG, while Keylor Navas has been limited with a groin injury, making it likely that Kiko Casilla will start between the posts.
Sevilla could be without top scorer Kevin Gameiro, who missed the Champions League defeat to Man City with a hamstring injury.
The hosts have reported no fresh injury concerns, but Beto, Daniel Carrico and Nicolas Pareja all remain long-term absentees.
Sevilla possible starting lineup:
Rico, Tremoulinas, Rami, Kolodzieczak, Coke, Kychowiak, Krohn-Dehli, Iborra, N'Zonzi, Konoplyanka, Gameiro
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Casilla, Varane, Nacho, Carvajal, Danilo, Kroos, Casemiro, Modric, Ronaldo, Bale, Isco
Head To Head
When the sides met in Seville last season, it was Real Madrid who secured the win, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring a hat-trick in the 3-2 victory.
The win was Real's third in a row over Sevilla, and 12th in 14 matches between the two teams. Red cards have also been a regular feature when these two sides meet, with 14 sendings-off in the last 22 fixtures.
In 43 matches between the two teams, Real have won 29 times, while Sevilla have just 11 wins, and only three matches have finished level.
We say: Sevilla 1-2 Real Madrid
Sevilla have started to show signs of returning to the form that helped them win the Europa League and finish fifth in the table last season, but Real Madrid have shown no signs of slipping up in recent weeks, and with the likes of Gareth Bale and Daniel Carvajal potentially coming back in, the visitors should have enough to maintain their unbeaten run in La Liga.
Sian Cowper
