Welcome to the start of a brand-new European football season, and following a midweek of games from the Champions League, we turn our attention to the opening round of fixtures from La Liga. The top-flight of Spanish football promises to be competitive, unpredictable, and exciting as Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid aim to wrestle the title back from current champions Barcelona. The battle for a top-four finish will be just as interesting, while the race to avoid relegation will keep fans guessing.
The top-flight of professional football in Spain will provide many talking points this year, and we begin with Sevilla’s home game against Valencia. The pair meet at 20:30 on Friday in a game you can follow on television and live streaming apps. Both teams will view this as a great chance to get off to a winning start, but which team will hold its nerve and bag three points, Sevilla or Valencia?
The head-to-head stats may give lovers of Spanish football something to work with, as Friday’s game will be the 62nd meeting of the teams. The most recent game produced a 2-0 win for Sevilla on the road, with the goals needed to win that game scored by Loic Bade and Suso. Records show Sevilla hasn’t lost to Valencia since 2019, a run of 10 games. Will that drought end this weekend?
Sevilla must improve
Sevilla finished last season in midtable, which is a rotten result for a team with ambitions of playing in one of the UEFA competitions each year. It was a campaign to forget, but only after the team learned from their mistakes and used those harsh lessons to fuel this campaign. Sevilla is a team with great success in Europe, which can take its toll on their league campaign. Fans love their Champions League and glorious Europa League adventures but want domestic success and a place amongst the best teams in Spain.
Sevilla is the seven-time Europa League champions, and they smashed their record of six last season when winning the 2022/23 Europa League. That success means they’ll be playing Champions League football again this term, despite finishing in the league’s bottom half, and the board was ambitious in the transfer window in a bid to help manager Jose Luis Mendilibar. We’ll see on Friday if it has the desired effect and the team bags three points.
When looking at Sevilla’s previous home game against Valencia, we note a 1-1 draw in October last year. Edinson Cavani opened the scoring inside six minutes that day, but Sevilla fired back to snatch a late draw thanks to an Erik Lamela strike on 86 minutes. The game ended in controversy, with Kike Salas sent off near the end. Fancy more goals and drama on Friday evening? We can’t wait.
Bet herePressures on Valencia
Valencia find themselves involved in the opening game of the new La Liga season, and their fans will enjoy playing a part and creating a spectacle. This game brings the curtain up on the season, and Valencia has a chance of targeting the European places and bouncing back from last season’s horror show. Fans, pundits, and the board were disappointed with how the last term ended, with Valencia finishing 16th of the 20 teams, narrowly avoiding relegation.
They could be involved in second-tier action this season but managed to hold onto their La Liga membership by the skin of their teeth. But it was far too close for comfort in the opinion of many fans. Everyone connected to the away dressing room on Friday knows better is required this year. If they can get off to a winning start on the road against Champions League-level opposition, it’ll provide a timely boost to the team’s morale. But nothing comes easy in this division.
Valencia last beat Sevilla on the road in March 2019 in a game that ended 1-0 for the visitors. The winning goal came from Daniel Parejo, who rifled home a penalty seconds before the half-time interval, and his teammates guarded that slender advantage during a high-pressure second half. The final score and performance don’t matter at this stage; fans value the points much higher than the entertainment value.
Sevilla v Valencia prediction
This will be a fascinating 90 minutes, and although a draw wouldn’t be the worst result for either team, both managers know the value of three points. Sevilla and Valencia often push for the major places in La Liga, meaning three points on Friday could deliver the perfect start while damaging a rival.
Sevilla’s squad is of a higher standard than the visitors, certainly on paper, and that could make the difference here. Backed by their support and enjoying a long unbeaten run against Valencia, the home win will likely be popular with bettors.
La Liga odds
The pre-match betting odds available at 22bet has Sevilla at 2 with Valencia 3.82 and the draw 3.42.
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