Sevilla will be looking to return to winning ways in La Liga when they continue their domestic campaign away to an out-of-form Rayo Vallecano outfit on Sunday afternoon.
Julen Lopetegui's side are currently second in the table, eight points behind leaders Real Madrid, while Rayo's disappointing form has seen them drop down the division into 13th.
Match preview
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Overall, Rayo can be delighted with their 2021-22 campaign to date, reaching the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey, in addition to sitting 13th in the La Liga table, seven points clear of the relegation zone.
Having secured a return to this level via the Segunda Division playoffs last term, consolidation was always going to be the number one priority this term, so anything 17th or above would be a success, and they are in a strong position in the table heading into the final straight.
Rayo have credit in the bank due to their excellent first half of the season, which is fortunate, as their form in recent weeks has been worrying, losing each of their last six in Spain's top flight, while they have not been victorious in the league since a 2-0 success over Alaves on December 18.
Andoni Iraola's side suffered a 2-0 defeat at Cadiz last time out, while they have lost each of their last three league matches in front of their own supporters, including a 1-0 reverse to Real Madrid on February 26.
Rayo's home this season has largely been impressive, though, picking up 26 points from 13 matches, which is the sixth-best record in the division, picking up the same number of points as Barcelona at Camp Nou.
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Sevilla, meanwhile, will enter the contest off the back of a 1-0 win over West Ham in the first leg of their last-16 Europa League contest on Thursday, with Munir El Haddadi's excellent strike meaning that the Spanish club will have an advantage to take to London in the return fixture.
Lopetegui's side were held to a goalless draw by Alaves in La Liga last weekend, though, which saw them drop eight points behind division leaders Real Madrid, with the two teams on the same number of games (27).
Sevilla are still seven points clear of third-placed Barcelona, although the Catalan club have a game in hand, so they are far from guaranteed a top-two position, with a number of sides battling for a top-four spot.
Los Nervionenses have not won La Liga since 1946, while they have not finished higher than fourth since 2009, so it could be a famous campaign for the club, especially with Europa League success also on the cards.
Sevilla, who have not lost in Spain's top flight since the end of November, recorded a 3-0 victory in the reverse match at Estadio Ramon earlier this season, while they have not lost to Rayo in the league since January 2012.
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Team News
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Rayo will be missing Alvaro Garcia and Isi Palazon on Sunday through suspension, while Esteban Saveljich is out with the hamstring problem that he picked up against Cadiz last time out.
As a result, there will be a number of changes for this match, with Nikola Maras set to replace Saveljich at the back, while Bebe and Oscar Trejo could come into the side further forward.
The home side will be able to call upon Alejandro Catena once again following suspension, but Martin Merquelanz remains unavailable for selection due to a knee issue.
As for Sevilla, a lengthy injury list still includes Diego Carlos, Fernando, Suso, Gonzalo Montiel, Erik Lamela, Karim Rekik and Papu Gomez, while Joan Jordan will miss this game through suspension.
Ivan Rakitic is also expected to miss out, having been forced to pull out of the starting side against West Ham on Thursday due to a problem that he suffered in the warm-up.
The visitors will be boosted by the return of Thomas Delaney, though, with the midfielder available after missing the clash against West Ham due to a European suspension.
Anthony Martial is pushing to return to the starting XI, having been involved off the bench in the Europa League, and the France international could replace Munir on Sunday.
Rayo Vallecano possible starting lineup:
Zidane; Balliu, M Suarez, Maras, F Garcia; Ciss, Valentin; Bebe, Comesana, Trejo; Guardiola
Sevilla possible starting lineup:
Bounou; Navas, Kounde, Gudelj, Acuna; Delaney, Torres; Corona, Ocampos, Martial; En-Nesyri
We say: Rayo Vallecano 1-2 Sevilla
Sevilla will be in a confident mood after their win over West Ham, and they need to triumph on Sunday in order to stay in touch at the top of the division. We are expecting a tight match this weekend but believe that Sevilla will have enough quality, despite their injury problems, to secure a huge three points.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Sevilla win with a probability of 44.67%. A draw had a probability of 28.2% and a win for Rayo Vallecano had a probability of 27.13%.
The most likely scoreline for a Sevilla win was 0-1 with a probability of 13.76%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-2 (8.94%) and 1-2 (8.46%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (13.01%), while for a Rayo Vallecano win it was 1-0 (10.01%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 13% likelihood.
