Does the Catalans’ away woes continue?
While Espanyol Barcelona showed an important sign of life in their relegation battle with a 1-0 home win over Getafe at the weekend, Sevilla FC suffered a minor setback in a 2-0 loss to Girona. For the Andalusians, it was the first lost game after seven consecutive competitive matches without defeat (five wins, two draws). Nevertheless, when it comes to Sevilla vs Espanyol Barcelona, betting on the Nervionenses to win at home is the obvious choice.
After all, in the 21st century alone, the Rojiblancos have only lost two of their 20 home La Liga games against Espanyol Barcelona (13 wins, five draws). Currently, the Andalusians are unbeaten against the Catalans for nine encounters in league play (six wins, three draws). Accordingly, our prediction for Sevilla against Espanyol Barcelona goes clearly to the resurgent Nervionenses.
While Sevilla have already lost six of their 16 La Liga home games in the 2022/23 season. However, the fact that the Catalans have lost a total of eight of their 16 La Liga games away from home (three wins, five draws), while always losing in their last five away games, speaks against Espanyol Barcelona.
It is therefore very coherent to bet on the home victory of the Rojiblancos, who have visibly been given new life by José Luis Mendilibar recently.
Sevilla – statistics & current form
Sevilla FC initially experienced a disastrous first half of the season after finishing fourth in the preseason and repeatedly qualifying for the Champions League. After the departure of numerous key players, the Rojiblancos fought not for a Champions League spot, but against relegation.
Even returning manager Jorge Sampaoli was unable to pull the team out of the mud, which led to another change of coach at the end of March. José Luis Mendilíbar then finally managed to stabilize the Nervionenses again.
Only one defeat in the last eight competitive games
The Rojiblancos are now a comfortable ten points clear of 18th place and, with a six-point gap to seventh, are still eyeing a place in the Conference League.
Admittedly, the recent 2-0 defeat to direct rivals Girona was a bitter setback. However, it was the Andalusians’ only defeat in their last eight competitive games (five wins, two draws). Consequently, the odds on Sevilla against Espanyol Barcelona also swing in the direction of the Nervionenses.
Six La Liga home losses already in the 2022/23 season
While it should be noted that the Rojiblancos, who as Europa League semifinalists could also use their favorite competition as a backdoor into the Champions League, have already lost six La Liga home games this season. The last time there were seven or more home defeats was in 1999/2000.
Under José Luis Mendilibar, however, there has been a crystal-clear improvement in performance, which was also clearly evident in the recent home games against Manchester United (3-0) and Villarreal (2-1).
Last games of Sevilla:
La Liga
- 02/05/2023 – Sevilla FC 0 – 2 Girona
- 28/04/2023 – Athletic Bilbao 0 – 1 Sevilla FC
- 24/04/2023 – Sevilla FC 2 – 1 Villarreal FC
Europa League Final Stage
- 21/04/2023 – Sevilla FC 3 – 0 Manchester United
La Liga
- 17/04/2023 – Valencia 0 – 2 Sevilla FC
Espanyol Barcelona – statistics & current form
Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona returned to La Liga in the summer of 2021 after a one-year interlude in the second division. After finishing 14th in the final season of 2021/22, however, the Periquitos are currently once again in doubt as to whether they will remain in Spain’s top division.
Six matchdays before the end of the season, the Blanquiazules are in a direct relegation spot, and their recent 1-0 win over Getafe did nothing to change that. Nevertheless, it was an important sign of life for the Catalans, who were able to reduce the gap to the relegation zone to two points.
Only one win in the last nine league games
At RCDE, too, there was a change of coach in the home stretch of the season, although initially there was no discernible effect. The first four league games under Luis García initially brought only a single point. Hopes are now high that the narrow 1-0 win over Getafe will mark a turnaround.
In fact, however, the Periquitos have lost seven of their last nine league games (one win, one draw), which means that the situation remains precarious and self-confidence is not all that high. In this context, there is not much to suggest that the bet on Sevilla against Espanyol Barcelona will win a point against the resurgent Andalusians.
Last five away defeats in a row
In particular away, the Blanquiazules finally gave a not at all good picture lately. RCDE conceded five defeats in a row away from home, which means that they have already lost a total of eight games out of 16 away games in La Liga (three wins, five draws).
The Periquitos’ defense in particular has been far too full of holes away from home. Only Elche (37), Almeria (36) and Real Valladolid (34) conceded more goals away from home in the 2022/23 season than Espanyol Barcelona (28).
Last matches played by Espanyol Barcelona:
La Liga
- 30/04/2023 – Espanyol 1 – 0 Getafe
- 28/04/2023 – Villarreal FC 4 – 2 Espanyol
- 22/04/2023 – Espanyol 0 – 0 Cadiz
- 15/04/2023 – Real Betis 3 – 1 Espanyol
- 08/04/2023 – Espanyol 1 – 2 Athletic Bilbao
Sevilla – Espanyol Barcelona Direct comparison / H2H balance
Head to head: 79 – 30 – 49
There have been a total of 158 meetings between the two teams to date and with 79 wins, Sevilla FC clearly leads the record with a win rate of exactly 50%. Currently, the Andalusians are unbeaten against Espanyol Barcelona for nine consecutive league games (six wins, three draws).
Sevilla – Espanyol Barcelona bet
When it comes to Sevilla vs Espanyol Barcelona, our prediction goes to a home win for the Nervionenses, who have recently put all relegation worries to rest, making it to the Europa League semifinals and increasingly finding their way back to their old form. The visitors from Catalonia did show a little sign of life in their recent 1-0 win over Getafe. However, the Periquitos have lost all of their last five away games in a row in La Liga.
It makes sense to go with the favorites for this match and bet on a home win for the Rojiblancos, who are currently unbeaten in nine league games against the Catalans (six wins, three draws).
