The Matchday 17 LaLiga fixture between Real Madrid and Sevilla will take place on December 20 at the Santiago Bernabéu. Real Madrid vs. Sevilla: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Real Madrid
In the last round the side secured an important away win over Alavés (2-1). There was plenty of speculation that the result could affect head coach Xabi Alonso's future, but Real showed character to beat a combative opponent despite numerous absences. The victory prevented Barcelona from extending their lead; Madrid still trail the current leaders by four points. The club sit second in the table, though by dropped points Real rank third behind Villarreal. It is worth noting their strong scoring record — Real have netted 34 goals this season, the second-highest tally in the league behind Barcelona (49).
- At least two goals have been scored in five consecutive Real Madrid league matches.
- The club's impressive LaLiga home run stands at 15 matches (13 wins, 2 defeats).
- This season Real have conceded 16 goals in total, only Villarreal (13) have a better record.
Predicted lineup for Real Madrid (4-4-2)*
Thibaut Courtois – Federico Valverde, Raul Asensio, Antonio Rüdiger, Victor Valdepeñas – Rodrigo, Arda Güler, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Jude Bellingham – Vinícius Júnior, Kylian Mbappé.
The suspension of defender Fran García has ended, while defenders Álvaro Carreras and Daniel Carvajal, and forward Endrick are still serving bans. Defenders Éder Militão and Trent Alexander-Arnold are unavailable due to injury. The involvement of defender Ferland Mendy and midfielder Eduardo Camavinga is doubtful. Defender David Alaba has recovered and could return to the squad.
Sevilla
In their most recent LaLiga outing Sevilla thrashed Oviedo (4-0), but that win was only their second in the last eight rounds. For the first time since September–October, Sevilla avoided defeat in two consecutive league games, although both opponents came from the lower end of the table. Matías Almeyda's side have climbed to ninth, five points off the European places — not far, but the same margin separates them from 18th, which would mean relegation.
- Sevilla have scored in 15 of their last 17 LaLiga matches.
- The club have won with a +1.5 handicap in seven of their last eight away games in this competition.
- At least two goals were scored in eight of the team's previous nine Primera matches.
Predicted lineup for Sevilla (5-3-2)*
Odysseas Vlachodimos – Nemanja Gudelj, Andrés Castrín, Fábio Cardoso, José Carmona, Joaquín Martínez Gauna – Batista Mendy, Jibril Sow, Lucien Agoumé – Alexis Sánchez, Akor Adams.
Midfielder Peke Fernández and forward Isaac Romero have completed suspensions. Injuries rule out goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland, defenders César Azpilicueta and Tanguy Nianzou, and midfielder Rubén Vargas. The fitness of defenders Marcão and Kike Salas is doubtful.
Prediction for Real Madrid vs. Sevilla
Despite the massive pressure on Xabi Alonso, Real secured an important away victory over Alavés (2-1) in the last round. The team now return to the Santiago Bernabéu looking to make amends for the recent defeat to Celta (0-2). That home loss looks like a one-off — prior to it, Madrid had gone ten league games without dropping points at home. However, defensive mistakes have been a concern: Real kept a clean sheet in only one of their last four LaLiga home matches.
Sevilla tend to lose roughly every other league game this season, yet even in poor results the team rarely fail to score. Almeyda's side found the net in 14 of their first 16 league matches and have failed to score in just one of their last ten away league games.
Additionally, both teams scored in seven of the last nine LaLiga meetings between Sevilla and Real, although seven of those nine fixtures ended in Madrid victories. Prediction: Home win + Both teams to score – Yes
* The starting line-up shown for each side is from their most recent match in this competition.
