Overview
Sevilla is in a dangerous situation at the bottom of the La Liga standings, ranked 18th and 2 points behind Deportivo Alaves in the context that there are only five rounds left in the season.
Coach Luis Garcia Plaza's team entered this match after two consecutive defeats against Levante and Osasuna, and lost 5 of their last 6 matches - an alarming streak of form.
Last season, Sevilla only stayed in the league thanks to being only one point ahead of their opponent when they finished in 17th place, and now they face a similar risk. The last time the Andalusian team was relegated was in the 1999-2000 season, so if this scenario recurs, it will be a major shock to modern Spanish football.
Poor home form is the main reason when Sevilla has only won 19 points after 16 matches - the third worst record in the league.
In the opposite direction, Real Sociedad is currently 8th with 43 points after 33 rounds, with a record of 11 wins, 10 draws and 12 losses. The Basque team has secured a place in the UEFA Europa League thanks to the Copa del Rey championship, while the opportunity to compete for a Champions League spot is no longer feasible.
Coach Pellegrino Matarazzo's team entered this match after a 3-3 draw with Rayo Vallecano and only won 1 point in the last two rounds, after losing to Getafe.
With a total of 52 goals scored and 52 goals conceded, Real Sociedad brings entertainment-rich matches. In their head-to-head history, they also have an advantage when winning 55 out of 141 encounters with Sevilla in all competitions, including a 2-1 victory in the first leg this season.
Personnel situation
Sevilla continues to face difficulties in terms of force as Marcao is still absent due to injury, while Djibril Sow is suspended for receiving enough yellow cards after the match against Osasuna.
However, the home team welcomed good news when Cesar Azpilicueta may return after a muscle injury. In attack, Neal Maupay - who just scored in the previous round - is likely to continue to start, along with Ruben Vargas and Isaac Romero.
On the other side, Real Sociedad also does not have the strongest force when Inaki Ruperez and Alvaro Odriozola are absent due to injury.
In addition, Igor Zubeldia, Goncalo Guedes and Jon Karrikaburu are also having physical problems, causing the away team to possibly lack up to 5 players in this away trip.
Sociedad's biggest mainstay continues to be Mikel Oyarzabal. This striker has just scored a double against Rayo Vallecano, bringing the total number of goals this season to 17 and is likely to continue to lead the attack.
Expected lineup:
Sevilla: Vlachodimos, Carmona, Castrin, Salas, Suazo, Sanchez, Gudelj, Agoume, Vargas, Romero, Maupay.
Real Sociedad: Remiro, Aramburu, Martin, Caleta-Car, Gomez, Kubo, Turrientes, Soler, Barrenetxea, Oskarsson, Oyarzabal.
The match between Sevilla and Real Sociedad takes place at 2:00 a.m. on May 5 (Vietnam time).
