Sevilla vs Athletic Club predictions and match preview for Saturday’s LaLiga fixture. Read on for analysis, team news and predicted lineups as the hosts begin life under new management.
| Date | Saturday 8th October 2022 |
| Kick-Off | 18:30 (local time) |
| Stadium | Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan |
| Competition | LaLiga |
Sevilla vs Athletic Club Preview
Jorge Sampaoli will take charge of his first match since returning to Sevilla as the Andalusians host in form Athletic Club. Sevilla will be aiming to grab three points and climb away from the bottom of the table whilst Athletic will look to maintain third spot with a result.
Sevilla have had one of the worst starts to the season in their recent history, with only one win from their first seven league games, losing on four separate occasions. Their last domestic outing came as a 2-0 loss to Atletico Madrid at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, in which the Southern side never truly troubled Diego Simeone’s men. Marcos Llorente put Atletico in front with an excellent finish from just inside the box and Sevilla’s defensive frailties were exposed for the second goal, with a simple goal kick from Jan Oblak ending with a one on one for Alvaro Morata who clipped the ball over Yassine Bounou.
There would be one more outing for Julen Lopetegui, however, a 4-1 defeat in midweek to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League. Outside of a few good spells going forward, Sevilla were second best overall and Lopetegui was relieved of his duties under an hour after the match ended, paving the way for Sampaoli to return five years after his departure following a 4th place finish in 2016/17.
Athletic have been a completely new side since Ernesto Valverde returned to the club this summer, sitting third in the table with 16 points, scoring four goals in three of their seven matches. Their last result was a 4-0 victory over newly promoted Almeria at San Mames. Nico Williams’ brilliant cross was glanced into the net by his brother Iñaki on the tenth minute and soon later Oihan Sancet finished off an excellent team move to double the lead.
In the second half, Nico would grab a goal of his own before Mikel Vesga wrapped up the three points from the penalty spot. Keeping up performances like this could allow the Basques to fight for Europe for the first time in years, and on current form they could even potentially challenge for a Champions League spot.
Team News & Possible Lineups
Sevilla
| INJURED | Tecatito, Rekik |
| DOUBTFUL | Marcao |
| BANNED |
Possible XI: Bono – Acuna, Gudelj, Nianzou, Montiel – Oliver, Fernando, Jordan – Isco, En Nesyri, Lamela (4-3-3)
Coach: Jorge Sampaoli
Athletic
| INJURED | Vivian, Yuri |
| DOUBTFUL | |
| BANNED |
Possible XI: Simon – Lekue, Yeray, Martinez, De Marcos – Dani Garcia, Sancet – Berenguer, Muniain, N. Williams – I. Williams (4-2-3-1)
Coach: Ernesto Valverde
Score Prediction: Sevilla 1-2 Athletic Club
It is possible that Sevilla have a new manager bounce, however the reality is that the club’s problems reached far beyond Lopetegui and Sampaoli will likely take time to get this team going. Furthermore, Athletic are in fine form and will prove a tough task for the Andalusians, so they should be favourites going into this match.
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.
