Newly promoted Real Valladolid are in desperate need of points as they welcome in-form Sevilla to the José Zorrilla Stadium this weekend.
The hosts, famously owned by the legendary Ronaldo Nazário, are in the midst of a tight relegation battle at the bottom of the Spanish top flight and face the very real possibility of returning to La Liga 2, where they finished second last season to earn promotion.
Paulo Pezzolano's side are hoping to avoid being dragged into one of the two yet undecided relegation spots, with lowly Elche already confirmed for the drop. There are at least six teams who are firmly entrenched in the struggle and all points are now precious for these sides.
Valladolid have understandably struggled in the top flight this season, with their leaky defence being a particular concern. They hold the unenviable record of conceding the second most goals of any team across the 2022/23 La Liga campaign so far.
To make matters worse for the hosts, they face Sevilla at a really inoppurtune time. Until José Luis Mendilibar took over from the doomed Jorge Sampaoli in late March, the record six-time Europa League winners were just two points above the relegation zone themselves, after a torrid season domestically.
However, they have enjoyed a remarkable uptick in form since his arrival, winning 6 of 11 league games, and knocking Manchester United out of the Europa League to once again reach the competition's semi-final stage, where they will face Juventus in the second leg next week.
Miraculously, they are now in with a chance of somehow snatching a European qualification via league finish. Should this good run continue they will be confident of at least securing a UEFA Europa Conference League berth, and should results go their way, maybe an entry into the Europa League.
If they manage to win the Europa League itself this season, they will even find themselves in the UEFA Champions League next year, something few of their fans could have possibly imagined just a matter of months ago - the unpredictability of football never ceases to amaze.
After a season which had been disastrous to the point of humiliation, Sevilla are now coming into their own during the business end. They've won five of their last six in all competitions, and that is bad news for poor Valladolid.
Canadian international striker Cyle Larin is the hosts' top scorer this season, with a measly seven goals. Valladolid fans will hope that a rare goal from Larin or his cohorts up front can give them some hope, but this match looks bleak for the strugglers.
Sevilla will rightly have one eye on the Europa League and them potentially showing a little bit of complacency or distraction is really the only cause for hope for their opponents this weekend.
The hosts will be missing Selim Amallah after the Moroccan international midfielder suffered a fractured shoulder a couple of weeks ago, which ruled him out for the season. However, he had only made 7 La Liga apperances up to that point and therefore can hardly be considered a key member of the first team. Apart from fellow Moroccan Anuar, whose season sadly ended before it really started due to a cruciate ligament injury in September, Valladolid have a clean bill of health.
Some news which will please Valladolid fans is that Sevilla's squad is rather more depleted. They will definitely be making the trip without midfielder Joan Jordán, who will not feature for the rest of this campaign through injury, while Tanguy Nianzou and Suso are also doubtful for this clash, all of whom could be described as regular members of the first team squad. They are also carrying a couple of injuries to players on the fringes of their squad, so they are lacking depth.
One remarkable statistic about this fixture is that the last four consecutive meetings between these two have ended 1-1. In fact you have to go back to 2014 to find a game involving these sides which featured more than two goals total. Eight in a row have concluded with two goals or less.
With that in mind, Valladolid may be hopeful of taking a crucial point away from this contest, despite their recent woes.
Fans in the UK can watch this match live on TV on Viaplay Sports 1 and also via live streaming on the Viaplay app or website, or on La Liga TV.
Expert Insight: All of the data suggests a comfortable Sevilla win, but that historical record does give pause. Valladolid will not be lacking fight in this one, given the grave stakes of their last few games, and Sevilla could certainly be forgiven for being tired after their exertions against Juventus in mid week. What's more, they will also likely be a little distracted by the return leg next Thursday. It's not the most likely outcome but perhaps the hosts could grind out a low-scoring draw, or maybe even end their run of three games without a win and pick up three invaluable points in their battle for survival.
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