Villarreal vs Sevilla predictions and match preview for Sunday’s LaLiga fixture. Read on for analysis, team news and predicted lineups as two European contenders meet.
| Date | Sunday 18th September 2022 |
| Kick-Off | 16:15 (local time) |
| Stadium | Ciutat de Valencia |
| Competition | LaLiga |
Villarreal vs Sevilla Preview
Villarreal and Sevilla are meeting this weekend and it’ll be interesting to see how they match up. Sevilla have finished 4th in each of the past three seasons but the Yellow Submarine are very much targeting that position this year and they will sense weakness in their opponents.
Unai Emery’s side faced another of their likely European rivals last weekend when they visited Betis and were unfortunate to lose the game 1-0. That was a first real setback of the season for Villarreal who have started so well with 7 wins out of 9 in all competitions. That includes a 2-1 Conference League win on Thursday night in Israel.
The injury toll is rising though with the likes of Gerard Moreno, Juan Foyth and Manu Trigueros sidelined here. They are a bit short on attacking options with Arnaut Danjuma only just returning from injury too although he did feature off the bench in the European game for his first minutes of the season. Danjuma’s return will make a difference but he’s unlikely to be ready to start here so Jose Luis Morales may get the nod again in attack.
As for Sevilla, Julen Lopetegui continues to fight on but the tensions between him, sporting director Monchi and the club are increasingly evident with fans currently unsure quite where to direct their anger. It’s a situation that may come to a head over the international break and defeat here would immediately pile the pressure back onto the coach.
It has been a better week for Sevilla after a miserable start to the season. They claimed their first win with a 3-2 success at Espanyol last weekend with young full-back Jose Angel Carmona the unlikely match winner with two goals. They backed that up with a goalless draw in Denmark against Copenhagen in the Champions League, although in a group which also includes Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund, they could probably have done with more.
Team News & Possible Lineups
Villarreal
| INJURED | Alberto Moreno, Foyth, Gerard Moreno, Trigueros |
| DOUBTFUL | Reina |
| BANNED |
Possible XI: Rulli – Pedraza, Torres, Albiol, Femenia – Lo Celso, Capoue, Parejo, Chukwueze – Jackson, Morales (4-4-2)
Coach: Unai Emery
Sevilla
| INJURED | Tecatito |
| DOUBTFUL | Marcao |
| BANNED | Lamela |
Possible XI: Bono – Acuna, Kike Salas, Nianzou, Carmona – Oliver, Fernando, Jordan – Isco, En Nesyri, Papu Gomez (4-3-3)
Coach: Julen Lopetegui
Score Prediction: Villarreal 1-1 Sevilla
We have seen a bit more from Sevilla over the past week. Defensively there are still questions, but they may be spared the full force of Villarreal here with the hosts likely to be a bit tired after their long European trip while they are also missing their most dangerous forward in the shape of Gerard Moreno. That cost them at Betis last weekend and with Danjuma not fully fit yet, they may struggle to put Sevilla to the sword here so this one could end all square.
PLEASE NOTE – Our LaLiga predictions are not betting tips! No profits are guaranteed if you’re using them to bet on Spanish football. If you are gambling, do so responsibly and never stake more than you can afford to lose. BeGambleAware.
