Top of the La Liga form table during the last six games, picking up 16 points out of the possible 18, the oldest club in Seville are on fantastic form. Upon facing Valencia at the weekend, Sevilla sit 4th in the table behind Atletico and Barcelona and just six points from leaders Real Madrid. Their top scorer, Carlos Bacca, is also 4th in the standings for the La Liga golden boot.
After selling their most creative player, Ivan Rakitic, to league rivals Barcelona during the summer, Sevilla looked as if they lacked the quality that saw them defeat Benfica in last season’s Europa League Final. However former Valencia manager, Unai Emery, brought in 9 new players to the club, including the signing of Ever Banega from the Mestalla for an undisclosed fee, in order to try and revive the Argentinian midfielder’s career.
With the new improvements, Sevilla have reached the last eight of the Copa Del Rey and have oozed class out on the pitch. The loan signings have added depth to the squad, which is indispensable when playing in the Europa League as well as two other competitions.
They are somewhat of a dark horse in this season’s La Liga, with many focusing on the success of Valencia, Sevilla have creeped up above them and have the opportunity to go four points clear of Los Che with a game in hand on them.
If Bacca, Gameiro and on-loan, out of favour Liverpool striker Iago Aspas keep on firing on all cylinders, they have a real chance on finishing in the top 4 and securing a Champions league place, something they haven’t achieved since the 09/10 season. Their main weakness has been against the bigger sides in the league. They suffered a humbling away defeat against Atletico on the 27th of September by 4-0, which was then followed later on this season with another away defeat to Barcelona, this time 5-1 to the home side. If Sevilla are to mount a challenge for the top four they will need to improve their form against the top three.
The last meeting between Los Che and Sevilla was on match day 1 and it ended in a 1-1 draw. After both teams have had a successful start, it will be an interesting matchup in which both sides will be tested to the maximum. Former Sevilla striker Alvaro Negredo will be returning to face his old side on Sunday, with Ever Banega doing the same for the away side. Both players could have key influences on the outcome of the match.
As we edge closer to the start of February, Los Hispalenses must finish the January transfer window with a similar group of players that they have started the season with, and holding on to key men such as Polish international Grzegorz Krychowiak and Colombian talisman Carlos Bacca could be as good as bringing in a new signing. The loanees have also looked good, with Barca duo Deulofeu and Denis Suarez impressing for the first team which could lead to a permanent move to Sevilla next summer.
The next few months will certainly be a test for Sevilla, starting off with an away tie against Real Madrid on the 4th of February in La Liga, then towards the end of the same month they have both legs of the Europa League round of 32 against German side Borussia Monchengladbach. They have a very good chance of Champions League qualification for next season but they will need to pick up valuable points against the big teams in order to relieve some of the pressure on other fixtures. The squad are more than capable of an upset, and manager Unai Emery has done a fantastic job at getting Sevilla to where they are.
