Sevilla's appetite for completing the season within the top half of the La Liga table leads them through a relegation-threatened Espanyol, who must collect a few more points to salvage something. The two teams face off on Thursday at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium.
The recent setback at the hands of Girona would hurt the Sevillistas' momentum, as they were on a rare seven-game undefeated streak in all competitions. Domestically, José Luis Mendilibar's side has won three of their last five games, losing and drawing once.
Things have undoubtedly seen a shift in terms of desirable results after the departure of Jorge Sampaoli. Mendilibar has resolved the concerns of Sevilla fighting against relegation. Standing 11th in the points table, Los Nervionenses are sitting two points behind Rayo Vallecano at 10th.
Though the chances of reaching the European qualification places are a stretch, Sevilla can still carve out another way to achieve their targets. Serie A giants Juventus have been going through a rough patch on the field.
The Spanish side can capitalize on their misfortunes as they square up against the Italians in a two-legged semi-final tie in the UEFA Europa League. Winning this competition despite not doing remarkably in the domestic campaign won't be anything new for the squad as they have the most UEL silverware (6) in the history of this prestigious competition.
Espanyol has six games to turn around their season and ensure survival in the Spanish top flight. Despite the sacking of Diego Martinez with former Espanyol player Luis García, any impending turn of fortunes was not immediate. Their latest win over the weekend could be the turning point that the Periquitos will be optimistic about.
The White and Blues have lost three of their previous five games with a draw and a win. They have collected 31 points in 32 games and are short of two more to escape the danger zone. The defense has been an irreparable issue for García's men, as the side averages conceding 1.7 goals per game.
Contrastingly, their forward Joselu is the third-highest goalscorer in La Liga and Espanyol's top scorer. His produce alongside Martin Braithwaite's tally has been the only glimmering hope that makes the Barcelona-based side pretty good to perish.
Sevilla will continue to miss defender Marcão, who has missed 41 games in his first season with the club through three setbacks. Midfielder Joan Jordán is treating an undisclosed injury on the sidelines. Defender Tanguy Nianzou could sit out from this one with physical discomfort, similar to the last two games.
The visitors will not have Keidi Bare available as the midfielder has a ruptured ankle ligament. Jose Gragera will be due for assessment regarding his fitness after missing two games. Braithwaite remains suspended.
Football fans around the U.K. can catch every action live on Viaplay Sports 1 or LaLiga TV.
Expert Insight: Ideally, Sevilla should be looking to score early and save legs for their UEL tie. Espanyol's leaky defense could act as a recipe for disaster, but their urgency could work in their favor of surprising the hosts, who have bigger fishes to fry. It should be a low-scoring affair, with both teams having no complaints about sharing points if they fail to find clear dominance.
LaLiga