Needing one win to confirm a top-four finish in the La Liga table, Sevilla will welcome relegation-threatened Mallorca on Wednesday.
After salvaging a draw against Villarreal at the weekend, the hosts find themselves in third spot with a seven-point lead over fifth place, while their visitors sit two points adrift of safety with just three games left to play.
After a particularly impressive first half to the season, in which they consistently stayed in pursuit of league leaders Real Madrid, Sevilla have seen their form take a dip in recent months, with Julen Lopetegui’s side having now won just two of their last nine matches in La Liga.
A run of three consecutive draws and a defeat to Barcelona saw them fall well behind the top side and down to third place, before a win over Granada was followed by a 3-2 loss at the hands of the leaders.
They again bounced back to winning ways after that disappointment, defeating relegation-threatened Levante, before playing out consecutive draws heading into Wednesday, as they were firstly held by strugglers Cadiz on home turf.
Lopetegui’s side most recently travelled to take on Villarreal, and, after Giovani Lo Celso put the hosts 1-0 up in the 86th minute, they were, at least, able to salvage a point as Jules Kounde equalised deep into added time.
While they have been far from their best recently, Los Nervionenses do have a major head start in the race for Champions League places, and, now sitting third with a seven-point lead over Real Betis, they will look for a win to confirm a top-four finish while piling pressure on second-placed Barcelona.
The visitors, meanwhile, arrive desperate for a victory in their bid to jump out of the bottom three in the final three games of the season.
Following a commendable start to their first season back in La Liga, a run of seven straight league defeats between February and April gave Los Piratas’ survival hopes a huge hit.
While wins over Atletico Madrid and Alaves either side of a thrashing at the hands of Elche did provide some reason to be positive and hopeful, Javier Aguirre’s side have since lost another two games consecutively, firstly falling after a commendable effort away at Barcelona.
They then met fellow strugglers Granada, who sat a point behind in the drop zone prior to the game, in a crucial contest last time out, and, despite the game being level at half time, they were eventually handed a 6-2 thrashing as the visitors found the net five times in the second 45.
As a result, Los Piratas now find themselves two points adrift of safety with just three games to go, meaning they will see it as vital that they return to winning ways on Wednesday to improve their chances of avoiding the drop.
Sevilla La Liga form:
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Mallorca La Liga form:
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We say: Sevilla 2-0 Mallorca
Mallorca will certainly be desperate for a result on Wednesday, but we can only envisage them being outclassed at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium.
Looking to book their place in next season’s Champions League, Lopetegui’s men have more than enough to cruise past the strugglers with home advantage.