Seven days after being picked apart 1-3 at home by Atletico Madrid, Sevilla travel to Barcelona looking to show that result was an anomaly rather than a pattern. Luis Garcia Plaza’s side had won back-to-back league games before that setback, and they carry six points into this matchday 4 trip to RCDE Stadium. Espanyol, sitting 14th with three points, lost their last two league outings after opening the season with a 3-0 win over Levante, and Manolo Gonzalez knows his side needs to build some consistency on home turf.
What’s at stake
Sevilla sit eighth with six points from three games, three points behind the European spots currently held by Osasuna in sixth and Alaves in fifth. A win would push them level with that group and keep them firmly in the conversation for a top-six finish as the early La Liga picture settles. Espanyol, with three points from three matches, are sandwiched between Getafe and Real Sociedad in the lower-mid table, and a home win would lift them into the top ten and give the camp something to build on.
For Sevilla, a defeat would snap a two-game winning streak and amplify questions about their defensive structure after conceding five goals across their last two matches. For Espanyol, dropping points at home to a side that just shipped three to Atletico would tighten the grip the bottom half has on them and make it harder to separate from the teams looking over their shoulders at the relegation zone.
How they got here
Espanyol’s La Liga form over their last three games reads W-L-L. Their sole victory was a convincing 3-0 at home to Levante on August 16, but defeats to Real Madrid (1-2 at RCDE Stadium) and Real Sociedad (1-2 away) followed in quick succession. Sevilla’s picture is brighter on paper, two wins against Rayo Vallecano (2-1) and Athletic Club (3-1 away) before the Atletico defeat, though conceding three at home to the Madrid side was a reality check.
Espanyol are 14th on three points, six behind Sevilla in eighth. At this stage of the season the gap looks significant in terms of relative momentum, but the table is fluid enough that a home win for Espanyol would start to change that quickly. Sevilla are three points off the European places and level on points with Athletic Club directly below them.
Key battle to watch
The area to watch is how Sevilla’s midfield controls tempo after what happened against Atletico. Garcia Plaza’s side were overrun in transitions in that defeat, and Espanyol’s Gabriel Moscardo is the kind of energetic ball-carrier who can exploit any midfield that is slow to recover its shape. If Sevilla’s central players, including the likes of Grzegorz Kochorashvili and Jon Guridi, can impose themselves and restrict space for Moscardo and Edu Exposito, the visitors have enough quality in wider areas through Chidera Ejuke and Rafa Vargas to pose real problems for an Espanyol backline that has already conceded four league goals this term.
Key Stats
Match Context
Standings
Head To Head
Our Prediction
Sevilla’s head-to-head record at this venue is strong, and despite the Atletico defeat they have more firepower than Espanyol have shown they can reliably contain. The visitors are the more likely side to control long stretches of this game, though Espanyol at home will make it scrappy enough to keep it tight. Expect Sevilla to edge it, but Manolo Gonzalez’s side have enough fight to make the visiting side work for anything they get.