Sevilla vs Levante 26/01/19

26 January 2019

Encouraged by a 2-0 win over under-strength Barcelona in the first leg of the Copa del Rey quarter-finals, Sevilla will host Levante to the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan hoping to bring a four-game La Liga winless run to an end (D2, L2).

The Andalusians have gone from two identical 1-1 stalemates to two successive 2-0 defeats as they now need a positive outcome to keep the fourth place. One of the toughest La Liga hosts (W6, D2, L1), Los Hispalenses have secured six consecutive LL home wins before playing out a 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid. Sevilla’s recent downfall is closely related to their uninspiring displays in the final third that have seen the score one goal or less seven times in their last eight league outings. However, Pablo Machin can be encouraged by the fact his players kept a clean sheet in four of nine LL home clashes, allowing over 1.5 goals per match only once in the process. Still, goals have been in short supply in Los Nervionenses’ last fifteen competitive games, with just three of them producing over 2.5 goals.

Meanwhile, last week’s 2-0 home win over Valladolid has brought Levante’s five-game La Liga winless run to an end (D2, L3), and it was also the first time the Granotas managed to keep a clean sheet after seven successive matches in which they’ve conceded at least one goal. The visitors have been struggling away from the Estadi Ciutat de Valencia over the past few months, failing to secure all three points in their previous seven competitive road meetings (D4, L3). Paco Lopez’s men have already conceded 14 goals away from home, managing to keep a clean sheet only twice on ten LL road trips this term. What’s more, Levante’s defensive frailties have seen them concede over 1.5 goals per match five times in their last eight competitive outings.