Real Madrid will continue their pursuit of the top two in La Liga when they welcome top-four hopefuls Sevilla to the Bernabeu on Sunday night.
Los Blancos could find themselves 15 points behind leaders Barcelona by the time they take to the field, and Sevilla will indeed hope that Luis Enrique's side can overcome Villarreal earlier in the afternoon as they chase down fourth position in Spain's top flight.
Real Madrid
© AFP
Most, if not all, teams across Europe would be delighted if they had only lost four times in the league at this stage of the season. That is how the defeat column reads for Real Madrid, but they are currently four points behind second-placed Atletico and 12 off the leaders Barcelona in the table. Both play before them this weekend, meanwhile, and it appears that Los Blancos are not really getting anywhere at the moment in their bid to close the gap on the top two in Spain.
Nineteen wins have arrived from their 29 league fixtures this season, but only a minor miracle will allow them to challenge for the title in the final weeks of the campaign. That places more importance on the Champions League, and it would be fair to say that Zinedine Zidane's side received a favourable draw in the quarter-finals, with German side Wolfsburg pulled out of the hat.
There is a real possibility that Real Madrid could face either Barcelona or Atletico in the semi-finals of the European Cup and there would be no room for error if that was indeed the case. That said, since losing 1-0 at home to Atletico at the end of last month, Real Madrid have won each of their last four matches, three of which have been in the league.
They thumped Celta Vigo 7-1 at the Bernabeu on March 5, but only just sneaked past Las Palmas last time out. Indeed, the Yellows were worth at least a point in Gran Canaria, but a late header from Casemiro ensured that the visitors would collect all the points. The winning run has to continue this weekend and then there is then the small matter of Barcelona away after the international break.
Talk of unrest in the camp has not exactly helped Real Madrid's cause this season, and a criticism aimed at Los Blancos is that they are 'a group of individuals' rather than a team. Zidane's own position, long-term at least, is far from secure and it is understood that there will be a number of changes at the end of the current campaign.
For all of Real Madrid's problems, they have, generally, been very good at home this season – winning 12 of their 15 in the league and scoring 56 times in the process. They have struggled against the so-called bigger teams, however, and Sevilla certainly have the credentials needed to secure all the points in the capital.
Recent form: WDLWWW
Recent form (all competitions): DLWWWW
Sevilla
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Real Madrid have had a free week to prepare for this match, but the same cannot be said for Sevilla, who were in Europa League action against FC Basel on Thursday night. A 3-0 victory booked their spot in the quarter-finals, however, and increased an unbeaten run that now stands at five games in all competitions.
Athletic Bilbao will be their opponents in the last-eight stage of the Europa, but Sevilla cannot afford to switch their attention from league matters as they chase down fourth-placed Villarreal. As mentioned, Sevilla will hope for a favour from Barcelona on Sunday, who travel to the current occupants of the final Champions League place earlier in the day. The gap, as it stands, is five points from fifth-placed Sevilla to fourth-placed Villarreal, on the same number of games.
Bilbao and Celta Vigo are also still very much in the argument, but Sevilla seem to have found some form at the perfect time. They have won two of their last three in the league – including a vital 4-2 victory at home to Villarreal last weekend. Inconsistency has been a problem this season, but they have winnable fixtures over the next month or so.
That said, incredibly, Sevilla are one of only two teams – the other being Hellas Verona – in the top five European leagues not to have won away from home in the league this season. Should they fail to win this match, it would actually equal Unai Emery's worst away run as Sevilla boss.
That record will be even more frustrating for their supporters when considering that they have the second-best home record in the league. Thirteen wins have arrived from their 15 at the Estadio Ramon, but they are just not the same team on their travels and the Bernabeu would not have been high on their list when pin-pointing winnable fixtures on the road.
Recent form: WDLWDW
Recent form (all competitions): LWDDWW
Team News
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Real Madrid will be without the services of Sergio Ramos, who picked up a red card against Las Palmas last time out, while a suspension stemming from yellow cards will also keep fellow centre-back Pepe on the sidelines.
Raphael Varane and Nacho are expected to start in central defence, while Marcelo should also replace Alvaro Arbeloa at left-back.
Further forward, Karim Benzema is still out of action, leaving Lucas Vasquez and James Rodriguez to battle for a spot alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale in the final third. Casemiro is also expected to keep his midfield role ahead of Mateo Kovacic.
As for Sevilla, Ever Banega will miss out through a suspension of his own, while key midfielders Vitolo and Grzegorz Krychowiak are still on the treatment table for the visitors.
Banega's ban could open up a spot for Sebastian Cristoforo, but there are not expected to be too many changes from the Villarreal clash last week, leaving Kevin Gameiro, who scored twice against Basel on Thursday, to lead the line ahead of Fernando Llorente.
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Navas; Carvajal, Varane, Nacho, Marcelo; Modric, Kroos, Casemiro; James, Ronaldo, Bale
Sevilla possible starting lineup:
Rico; Mariano, Rami, Carrico, Tremoulinas; N'Zonzi, Iborra; Konoplyanka, Krohn-Dehli, Cristoforo; Gameiro
Head To Head
Sevilla recorded a 3-2 victory when the two teams met at the Estadio Ramon earlier this season, but they have not won away at Real Madrid in the league since December 2008.
Since then, they have lost seven times at the Bernabeu, including a thumping 7-3 defeat in October 2013. Last season's clash in the capital, meanwhile, ended in a 2-1 Real Madrid win.
We say: Real Madrid 2-1 Sevilla
It is clear to see that Real Madrid are vulnerable at the moment and if Sevilla could transfer their home form to their travels, this would be a very tough game for Los Blancos. Real Madrid have been strong at home this season though and should have enough to record all the points.
Matt Law
