La Liga preview and odds: Eibar vs. Sevilla

Published on: 15/10/2015

La Liga preview and odds: Eibar vs. Sevilla

October 17, 2015 17:15pm Ipurua Municipal Stadium

La Liga

Two teams that have experienced contrasting starts to the season will go head-to-head on Saturday when league minnows Eibar take on Europa League heroes Sevilla in the Basque Country.

Eibar enjoying bonus season in top-flight

After being spared the drop last season thanks to the financial woes of Elche, SD Eibar were amongst the favourites to go down again this year.

Following their reprieve, and the departure of talismanic coach Gaizka Garitano, the minnows of La Liga turned to former boss José Luis Mendilibar for guidance.

They began the new campaign with back-to-back wins and then drew three of their next four before beating Las Palmas away from home in the last round of matches. With just one defeat to their name, they now occupy seventh place in the table, six points clear of the drop zone and just three away from the Champions League places.

They now face another stiff test in the form of Europa League champions Sevilla.

Sevilla back to winning ways

The Andalucian team had a poor start to the season, but after last seasons energy-sapping exploits that culminated in a gruelling UEFA Super Cup tie against Barcelona, they could be forgiven for feeling a little burnt out.

Unai Emery`s men failed to win any of their first five La Liga matches and were left floundering in the relegation positions until recent back-to-back wins elevated them to 12th place in the table. Crucially, the second of those wins came against reigning La Liga champions Barcelona. They must now travel to the Basque Country to face a team that has yet to beat them in La Liga.

The Sevilla Coach will be keen to sure up his leaking defence ahead of this game as Eibar striker Borja Baston (on loan from Atlético Madrid) attempts to add to his four-goal tally. Emery will also need his own strike force to start finding the net on a regular basis if Sevilla are to have any hope of chasing the European places.

The teams have only ever met twice before in La Liga with Sevilla winning one and the other game ending in a draw.

Team news

Sevilla will be without Nico Pareja and Daniel Carrico, while Beto and Fernando Llorente are both doubtful.

For hosts Eibar, Jaime, Antonio Luna and Ander Gayoso are all missing.

Recent form (League)

SD Eibar: WDDLD

Sevilla: WWLLD

Betting odds and tips

Thanks to recent wins over Barca and Rayo Vallecano, Sevilla will start this game as favourites. However, their performances in those encounters were still far from convincing and they may have to battle their way to a win over plucky Eibar.

The Basque Country side have drawn three of their last five and held Celta to a 1-1 draw in their last match at the Ipurua. With Borja Baston in great form up front, there is no reason why they should not get a result from this match. The draw can be backed at 5/2 with Betfred and Borja can be backed at 3/1 to score anytime.

Published on: 15/10/2015

Any odds displayed within this preview were correct at the time of publishing (15/10/2015 17:55:41) but are subject to change.