Real Madrid will continue their La Liga title defence at home to a floundering Sevilla side, with both sides scheduled to face off on December 22 at Santiago Bernabeu.
Los Blancos are typically dominant in this matchup, although the upcoming showdown will be far from a cakewalk, given that the La Liga giants are still struggling to find their best form.
Madrid have been far from their sparkling best this season, especially in the Champions League, where you’d expect them to be further up the log, given their dominance in the tournament.
While they’ve struggled to get points on the board in Europe, the La Liga title race has given Carlo Ancelotti some sort of reprieve as they go head-to-head with fierce rivals Barcelona for the Spanish league title.
Meanwhile, Sevilla have been nothing short of disappointing this season.
Considering the trajectory of their season so far, the fans wouldn’t be expecting a productive outing in the Spanish capital, but they’ll buy Real Madrid vs Sevilla tickets from Seasnet.com to cheer the team nonetheless.
Even without the additional burden of continental football, where they’ve had plenty of success in recent years, the Andalusian giants find themselves languishing in the bottom half of the table.
Sevilla have finished in the bottom half in the past two seasons, and they’re on course for a similar story this season unless Garcia Pimienta’s side can turn things around in the second half of the season.
Perhaps an unlikely win at the home of the champions might be the pick-me-up Los Nervionenses needs to spark life into their campaign.
Match Preview
Madrid’s La Liga title defence hasn’t exactly gone according to script, but Barca’s recent stumbles has given them a lifeline.
At the time of writing, Ancelotti’s troops are two points behind Barca but have the cushion of a game in hand to fall back on after their meeting with Valencia was postponed.
Madrid are yet to hit their stride, with Ancelotti still scratching his head on the best way to utilise his fearsome attack, especially with Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius.
Both prefer to play on the left-flank and are often seen overloading that area of the pitch, but Ancelotti still needs to find the right balance for both players to thrive.
Mbappe is still adapting to life in Spain, but, at the time of writing, the Frenchman is Madrid’s top scorer with nine goals, although it could be more if he converted at least half of his 13 big chances created.
Nevertheless, his numbers speak volumes of his world-class ability, and it’s only a matter of time before he gets his juices flowing again.
The game against Sevilla could be a decent opportunity for the World Cup winner to add to his tally, with the Rojiblancos struggling to keep opponents at bay.
At the time of writing, Sevilla are on a miserable run of form, winning just one of their last five league games (D1, L3). They’ve shipped in 23 goals and will struggle to keep Madrid’s rampant attack at bay.
Los Nervionenses came close to nicking a point against Atletico Madrid, but a last-minute strike from Antoine Griezmann ensured that they came away from the seven-goal thriller empty-handed.
They’ll be hoping to avoid a similar fate when they return to the capital on December 22, but the odds are firmly stacked against them, especially against a Madrid side desperate to retain their crown.
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Real Madrid
Los Blancos have been ravaged by injuries this season, and it has significantly impacted their campaign. However, they’ve shown incredible resilience to push through the crisis and mount a serious title challenge.
Despite their injury struggles, Madrid’s best line-up is easily recognisable.
Since returning from a lengthy lay-off, Thibaut Courtois has reclaimed his first team spot from Andriy Lunun, who has deputised admirably for his Belgian counterpart.
However, since Courtois’ return, the former Chelsea shot-stopper has reaffirmed his status as arguably the best in the world and should be between the sticks against Sevilla.
Most of Madrid’s injury casualties have come from defence, but they should still be able to name a strong line-up featuring Fran Garcia, Antonio Rudiger, Raul Asencio, and Lucas Vasquez.
Ancelotti has tweaked his formation several times this season but seems to have found some stability in a 4-2-3-1 with Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni anchoring the midfield.
There has been plenty of question marks surrounding Madrid’s attacking third, with Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe seemingly favouring the left flank.
However, Vinicius should retain his spot on the left, forming a formidable attacking quartet alongside Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo, with Kylian Mbappe leading the line.
(4-2-3-1): Courtois; Garcia, Rudiger, Asencio, Vasquez; Valverde, Tchouameni; Vinicius, Bellingham, Rodrygo; Mbappe.
Sevilla
Alvaro Fernandez appears to have displaced Orjan Nyland as Pimienta’s last line of defence, and the Spaniard should retain his place between the sticks when Sevilla visits the home of the champions.
Kike Salas bagged a brace of assists in the defeat to Atletic, establishing himself as a dangerman from the backline for Los Nervionenses.
Barring any last-minute hiccups, he’s poised to retain his spot at left-back against Madrid, starting in a backline that also features Nemanja Gudelj, Loic Bade, and Jose Angel Carmona.
Pimienta will likely field a midfield trio of Djibril Sow, Lucien Agoume, and Juanlu Sanchez, who also got on the score sheet in the seven-goal thriller against Atletico.
A front three that featured the likes of Peque Fernandez and Isaac Romero caused Diego Simeone’s side plenty of problems when they rocked up to the Wanda Metropolitano.
However, Sevilla talisman Dodi Lukebakio was the headline act, netting the equaliser for the Rojiblancos in a standout performance.
Sevilla will be looking to the Belgian forward to continue his fine form when they return to the capital later this month, and he should have a field day against a patched-up Madrid backline.
(4-3-3): Fernandez; Salas, Gudelj, Bade, Carmona; Sow, Agoume, Sanchez; Fernandez, Romero, Lukebakio.
Ticket Info
Fans can cheer their favourites live by purchasing tickets from the official channels. You can go through the Real Madrid or Sevilla official website, but expect tickets to be sold at a premium, given the nature of the contest.
Those looking to book a spot in the stands at a subsidised rate should look no further than Seatsnet.com, which remains the best ticket marketplace for every La Liga fixture.
How to Watch
Fans in the UK can catch the entire La Liga action on UK TV via the official LaLigaTV channel, which is available to watch via Premier Sports Player and Amazon Prime Video.
Both platforms offer a 30-day free trial to the new members. Select games will also be broadcast live on Premier Sports 1 and ITV 4 channels.
