Sevilla can dent the La Liga title hopes of Real Madrid to boost their own chances of qualifying for the Champions League in their encounter at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.

Unai Emery's team are currently locked in a battle with Valencia for fourth place, while Madrid are in dire need of a victory to keep pace with league leaders Barcelona.

Sevilla

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Sevilla pushed themselves back into fourth place in the table courtesy of their 3-1 victory over Eibar on Wednesday to put the pressure back on Valencia.

Emery's men have been in excellent form since March as they are on a 10-match unbeaten run in the league, which has propelled them back into the mix for the Champions League places after falling five points off the pace in February.

The form of striker Carlos Bacca has been integral to the club's run of excellent form as he netted twice in their victory over Eibar along with key goals in their wins over Elche and Athletic Bilbao. The 28-year-old has scored 24 goals in 50 appearances in all competitions for Sevilla this season.

Sevilla have also done a better job of keeping things tight at the back in recent weeks as they have conceded just five goals in their last eight matches, earning four clean sheets in the process. Only four teams, including Barcelona and Real Madrid, have had more shutouts in the campaign.

Emery's side's home form has been the foundation of their charge towards the Champions League places as they are unbeaten at the Estadio Ramon this season. Indeed their last defeat at home came last year at the hands of Real Betis in the Europa League.

Most teams tend to struggle with the dual responsibility of juggling their commitments in the league and Europa. However, Emery's side appeared to be inspired by the prospect of earning a top-four place as well as searching for back-to-back triumphs in the Europa League after reaching the semi-finals of the competition.

Sevilla face a difficult challenge to keep their hopes alive against Carlo Ancelotti's men, but their recent form suggests that they could pose a major threat to Real's title hopes.

Recent form: WWDDWW
Recent form (all competitions): DWDDWW

Real Madrid

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Real are breathing down the neck of Barcelona at the top of La Liga as just two points separate the great rivals at this late stage in the campaign.

Ancelotti's side have won their last six matches on the bounce in the Primera Division since their defeat to Luis Enrique's men in March, but it still has not been enough to overhaul the Catalan club.

In the absence of Gareth Bale, James Rodriguez and Javier Hernandez have stepped up to aid Cristiano Ronaldo in finding the net for Ancelotti's men, as Rodriguez has scored four in the last five matches to boost his tally to 16 in the campaign in all competitions.

No team has scored more goals than Real in the division this season as they surpassed the 100-goal mark in their 3-0 win over Almeria. With Ronaldo in the side goals will never be a problem for Ancelotti, as the Portuguese narrowly leads Lionel Messi at the top of the goalscoring charts by a single goal with his 39 strikes in the league this season.

If Madrid are unable to beat Barcelona to the title they will come to rue their form away from the Bernabeu where they have lost five matches, including four this calendar year to Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Valencia and Athletic Bilbao.

Sevilla have a formidable record at the Estadio Ramon so it will take a huge effort from Ancelotti's men to keep up the pressure on Barcelona, especially with their extra commitments in the Champions League taking place next week.

Recent form: WWWWWW
Recent form (all competitions): DWWWWW

Team News

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Ancelotti could be boosted by the return of Bale for the clash against Sevilla as the Welshman managed to return to training this week from a calf injury.

However, the Italian could leave him out of the team because of their meeting with Juventus in the last four of the Champions League next week.

Karim Benzema could also return to the team after his recovery from a knee injury, although he is also unlikely to be risked at the Estadio Ramon. Luka Modric will miss the match due to his ongoing knee problem.

However, Daniel Carvajal and Sergio Ramos are available for selection after serving their suspensions against Almeria.

Sevilla are without Nicolas Pareja as he suffered a knee injury last week which will rule him out for up to seven months. Meanwhile, Sebastian Cristoforo is also out of action and Vitolo has also been struggling with a hamstring injury.

Sevilla possible starting lineup:
Rico, Navarro, Coke, Kolodziejczak, Arribas, Suarez, Mbia, Banega, Aleix Vidal, Reyes, Bacca

Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Casillas, Carvajal, Varane, Ramos, Marcelo, Illarramendi, Kroos, James, Isco, Ronaldo, Hernandez

Head To Head

Madrid have won the earlier two matches between the teams this season as they claimed a 2-1 victory at the Bernabeu thanks to goals from Rodriguez and Jese. A brace from Ronaldo fired them to glory in the Super Cup back in August.

Last March Emery's men came from behind to defeat Real as Bacca netted twice to cancel out an opener from Ronaldo. Madrid's last win at the Estadio Ramon came back in 2011 in a 6-2 victory.

Over the course of history, Madrid have fared better in the fixture, claiming 30 victories compared to Sevilla's 12, while four of the matches have finished in draws.

We say: Sevilla 1-0 Real Madrid

This match has all the makings of a classic as both teams have to lay it all on the line in search of a victory. Sevilla are unbeaten at home in the league since February 2014 and that run will be extended as they will have enough to dent the title hopes of Ancelotti's men to claim a narrow victory.

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