La Liga: Bragging Rights Up For Grabs In El Gran Derbi

Sevilla vs Real Betis

This upcoming matchday of the La Liga will offer us another fun contest as Sevilla take on Real Betis at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium on Sunday night.

Sevilla and Real Betis add another chapter to their storied rivalry here at the 100^th edition of the El Gran Derbi.

These two squads will fight tooth and nail since we are approaching the latter part of the 2020/21 La Liga season.

As of the moment, the hosts are perched at the fourth spot with 48 points, while two notches below them are Real Betis, who are six points adrift with 42 points.

Sevilla have been struggling to find their form lately, while Real Betis are on a roll and are gunning for their fifth straight league win.

In the last time that they met, both sides shared the spoils in what was a grinded-out affair. But who will come out on top this time?

As always, SBOTOP has you covered with today’s match preview.

Talking Points

Sevilla aim to break out of their slump

It has been a bad stretch for Los Palanganas as the losses piled up over this last month.

After starting the 2021 year with a bang highlighted by a huge win streak last January, Julen Lopetegui’s men are now losers of four consecutive games in all competitions.

Barcelona whipped them twice in the league and in the Copa del Rey semifinals via an aggregate of 5-0, and then they lost to Elche 2-1 to start March.

Most recently, they were also eliminated in the Champions League by Borussia Dortmund as Erling Haaland has been relentless in scoring.

Youssef En-Nesyri and Sevilla are eager to get the three points in this week’s La Liga — Youssef En-Nesyri heads their second goal against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League

In the said stretch, Youssef En-Nesyri has been the only bright spot for Julen Lopetegui as he continues to create memorable La Liga 2021 highlights for Sevilla.

The Moroccan forward now has 19 goals and he is in the running for the Pichichi trophy. However, he is the only one in the team who has reached double digits in scoring.

En-Nesyri can’t do it all alone and he may need to draw out additional production from the the talented trio of Luuk de Jong, Munir El Haddadi, and Lucas Ocampo.

The good news for Sevilla is that their roster is almost at 100-per cent. Their only absentee for this match will be Aleix Vidal, who is currently nursing a hamstring knock.

Real Betis face a big test

Los Verdiblancos are on an excellent run as they are enjoying a four-game winning streak.

After losing to Barcelona last February, Real Betis bounced back with wins against Villarreal, Getafe, Cadiz, and Alaves.

The main reason why Real Betis have been successful is because of the re-emergence of Nabil Fekir.

Pellegrini’s trust in him has paid off as the Frenchman stood out with his leadership while offering a creative source in the midfield.

Against Alaves, Fekir fought through pain and he played well despite being bothered by a muscular injury. He inspired his team to a comeback victory by holding his ground in the middle with his precise passes and ability to draw fouls.

Him and Sergio Canales will need to be at their best in this upcoming match especially facing the likes of Joan Jordan, Suso, and Ivan Rakitic.

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History

Sevilla and Real Betis have shared a rich history together that has lasted for more than a hundred years.

The first ever El Gran Derbi happened in October 1915 where Sevilla came away with a 4-3 victory at their home pitch.

Since then, these two clubs went on to have 98 more encounters. Prior to their 100^th game this weekend, Los Palanganas have 46 wins while Los Verdiblancos have won 30 times along with 22 draws.

Sevilla are undefeated in their last four league games against Real Betis. Their last loss came in 2018 when Pablo Machin was still in charge.

Betting Tip

	Sevilla vs Real Betis	Under 2.50 @ 1.78
	March 15, 04:00 (GMT+8)

The La Liga 2021 odds bat for the hosts to come away with a win. However, this game can go either way.

In the 1X2 market, Sevilla hold the edge as they are priced at 2.05, while Real Betis are pegged at 3.50 and chances for a draw are at 3.40.

Normally in rivalries like these, recent form and statistics get thrown out of the window. However, the one thing that is certain is that we will see a defensive slugfest similar to their earlier meeting this term, making Under 2.50 @ 2.38 the likeliest possibility.

Real Betis will certainly try to take advantage of Sevilla’s cold spell. However, with the hosts having key players back from injury, they are in a much better position to draw out a positive result.