January 11, 2025. 22:00. Seville. «Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán».
La Liga 2024-25. 19th day
Seville vs Valence
Players suspended: none
Injured players: Tanguy Nianzou, Valentín Barco, Chidera Ejuke, Kelechi Iheanacho – Thierry Correia, Mouctar Diakhaby, Fran Pérez, Rafa Mir
Uncertain : Giorgi Mamardashvili, José Luis Gayà (both – Valencia)
At risk of suspension: Loïc Badiashile, Adrià Pedrosa, Lucien Agoumé, Isaac Romero – Cristian Mosquera
Seville
On December 22, the Nervionenses said goodbye to club legend Jesús Navas, who played his last match to a warm reception at the “Santiago Bernabéu”. However, the team lost their final match of the calendar year, losing 2-4. A week earlier, they secured a crucial 1-0 victory over Celta in Navas’ farewell match at the ‘Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán’.
Sevilla started the new year with a cup match against Liga 2 leaders Almería. Initially, everything seemed to be going well for the visitors, with Isaac Romero opening the scoring in the 5th minute, and the Nervionenses finishing first halftime with a slight lead. However, things went south after the break, and in the 54th minute the hosts took the lead, eventually adding two more goals to win 4-1.
-This marked the third defeat for García Pimienta’s side in their last five games, with Sevilla having conceded four goals in each of those defeats – twice to Madrid and now to Almería. Before the final round of the first half of the season, Sevilla is positioned between 12th and 14th place in the standings, sharing the place with Rayo Vallecano and Las Palmas, and falling behind due to a worse goal difference. The team is currently eight points outside the European qualifying zone, despite having a game in hand. A victory in the next match would significantly improve Sevilla’s standings.
Valence
The Bats began the new year under the leadership of a new coach, Carlos Corberan, who replaced Rubén Baraja, under whose leadership the team had completely lost its rhythm and competitiveness. In Corberan’s debut match, Los Che faced Real Madrid at home. The first half at the Mestalla was excellent for the hosts, allowing them to take a deserved 1-0 advantage thanks to a Hugo Duro goal midway through the half. However, after the break, Valencia seemed to change pace, ultimately paying the price for this drop in pace. Initially luck was on their side when Bellingham missed a penalty, the ball hitting the bar, and Mbappé’s goal was ruled out for a marginal offside.
In the 79th minute, with the score 1-0 in favor of Los Che, Vinicius Junior lost control of his emotions, receiving a rather unusual red card. Yet the numerical advantage did little to help Carlos Corberan’s side maintain their slim lead, with Luka Modric equalizing in the 85th minute, and in injury time Jude Bellingham scored the winning goal, redeeming himself of its previous failure. Last week, the Bats finally secured their first victory under their new coach, easily beating second division side Eldense 2-0, with goals from Canos and Diego Lopez. After their trip to Seville, Valencia will have a cup match against a third division representative, Ourense. However, it is crucial for Los Che to pick up points in La Liga, with a series of tough matches ahead, making cup success the only source of positive emotions for the coming weeks.
Seville vs Valence : Predicted compositions
In Sevilla, the team will be without their central defender Tanguy Nianzou for a long time, while Valentín Barco, Kelechi Iheanacho and Chidera Ejuke will also miss the next match. Barco and Iheanacho are expected to leave the club in January, while Ejuke has only just returned from injury and is not yet fully recovered. However, their first winter signing, Swiss winger Ruben Vargas, transferred from Augsburg for a modest sum of 2.5 million euros, could make his debut for the Nervionenses.
For Valencia, they will be without full-back Thierry Correia, winger Fran Pérez and striker Rafa Mir. In addition, central defender Mouctar Diakhaby is still recovering from a serious knee injury requiring major surgery. Additionally, there is a high probability that key players like Giorgi Mamardashvili and captain José Luis Gayà will not be ready for the match. Decisions regarding their participation will be made closer to kick-off.
Seville vs Valence : Author’s prediction
Sevilla have won five of their last seven home games in La Liga, with their only defeat coming against Real Sociedad amid significant squad problems. Another match against Osasuna ended in a frustrating draw. Meanwhile, Valencia have only managed to win two games in the current La Liga campaign, both at Mestalla. The Bats have not won away in La Liga since April last year, and in the following 12 matches they have recorded eight defeats and four draws. However, it is worth noting that Valencia won their last meeting at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán against Sevilla, although it was at the start of the previous season, a year and a half ago. Regarding the upcoming meeting, the hosts are legitimately considered favorites. Although I’m not completely confident in a Sevilla victory, I rate their chances at around 70%. Therefore, I will not come up with anything inventive for my prediction.
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