Sevilla – Arsenal : Preview & Prediction
The 1-1 draw with Real Madrid at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán on Saturday made it clear that Sevilla FC can do battle with any of the most attacking teams in Europe, another of which visits Nervión on Tuesday. Arsenal, defeated by the Blanquirrojos in the only previous meeting between the two clubs in the Sevillian capital (UEFA Champions League (UCL) 2007-08), come in with a more than respectable home record against English sides (SFC: G5, E2, P3).
Adding a win to that good record will certainly be no easy task for the Blanquirrojo, who are on a five-match unbeaten run at the RSP (G2, E3), but have won only four of their last 14 home games in the UCL (G4, E4, P6). After making his debut as Sevilla coach against Madrid, Diego Alonso noted that his players did what he asked them to do, “be brave and put up a fight”. Ahead of his UCL coaching debut, Alonso acknowledged that the wear and tear of the clash against the LaLiga leaders makes Tuesday’s clash a challenge, “added to the rival that it is”.
His Arsenal counterpart, Mikel Arteta, does not have much more coaching experience in Europe’s top competition (G1, P1), but knows that a win at Sevilla’s home ground would be a giant step towards the last 16. Arteta will be relying on his players to raise their game after what he described as a “below expectations” performance in the 2-2 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last Saturday, despite his side coming from 2-0 down with two late goals.
Pleasing their manager will be far from easy for the Gunners, who have a poor away record against Spanish sides (G3, E3, P11). Arsenal’s last away win in the UCL dates back to December 2016 – the London club are playing in the top continental competition for the first time since 2016-17 – and on Tuesday they risk stringing together three away defeats in Europe’s premier tournament for the first time since 2010-11. Then, the third defeat in that series came in Spain at the hands of FC Barcelona.
Players to watch: Lucas Ocampos, scorer of the opening goal in the 1-1 draw with Lens on matchday one, has seen a yellow card in four of his last five home appearances for Sevilla. Leandro Trossard, who scored the 2-2 final at Chelsea on Saturday, has scored four of his five goals as an Arsenal player in the second 45 minutes. The exception was his goal in the 4-0 win over PSV in the group stage.
Series highlight: Sevilla have not scored a goal in their last three home games against English clubs in the UCL.
Sevilla – Arsenal : Betting Tips
Arsenal – Win Odds: 1.85
