by Seville and Osasuna They settle this Sunday (6:30 p.m.) a duel in the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán which is a new ‘final’ for the people of Seville, Eliminated from the Cup by Atlético de Madrid (1-0) and pressured to move away from relegation, although a difficult rival awaits them seeking to rediscover victory at home.
The slogan of the Sevillistas is clear and diaphanous: turn the page on what happened in the Cup and win again at home to get some oxygen, since they have not won in their stadium since September 26, when they beat last-place Almería (5-1), even with Mendilibar on their bench. But the coaching changes have not gone well for him either, since with Quique he has played 8 games with 3 wins -one in the League (0-3 against Granada) and two cup winners (1-2 in Ferrol and 1-3 in Getafe).
A preview marked by the possible departure of Rakitic towards Arabia
It is expected that Quique, who is waiting for a match “very physical” against Osasuna and in which his team, without any choice, only needs to win, continue to strengthen its defense and maintain its 5-3-2 system, with the Norwegian Nyland again in goal, the possible novelty, for the Frenchman Nianzou, from his compatriot Badé behind along with Sergio Ramos and the Brazilian Marcao. In the midfield, the Frenchman Soumaré and the Swiss Sow seem to be fixed, despite the discomfort he is suffering, with Suso, the youth squad Isaac Romero and the Argentine Lucas Ocampos in the offensive part. Quique is still unable to count on center backs Kike Salas and Serbian Gudelj and Belgian winger Lukebakio due to injury, as well as Moroccan striker En-Nesyri, with his national team in the Africa Cup. They have been joined due to physical problems by the Argentine winger Erik Lamela and the Dominican striker Mariano Díaz, while one of the captains, the Croatian midfielder. Ivan Rakitic is negotiating his possible departure to join Arab football.
Osasuna, needed away from home
For your partOsasuna arrives in Seville with the incentive of winning away from Pamplona four months later and thus corroborate their improvement in the League during the last few days. The last three points added away from home date back to October 1 in Mendizorroza, a time in which defeats (4) and draws (1) have been happening. The sensations have improved significantly in the last month and a half.
Arrasate hopes to have a good second round
The bad start to the league, in terms of play, has been forgotten with favorable results. The home victories against Rayo Vallecano, Almería and Getafe allow those of Jagoba Arrasate Maintain a safe distance from the descent. According to its coach, Osasuna has “sufficient incentives” for the second round: “It is true that what happened the other day is very good for us and at the qualifying level it gives us a certain margin, but we want to have a good second round, win away from home and we are focused on that,” he stated.
With no options in the Cup after the elimination at the hands of Real Sociedad, the rojillos have the incentive to improve their numbers in the second round to reach their true level and thus sign a new permanence as soon as possible. “Sevilla’s dynamics are a bit surprising. We know that it will be a complicated match, they are also left with only one competition and at home we are sure that they will push with their people and will want to win,” Arrasate indicated.
Template changes
The last few hours in the offices of the Navarrese club have been busier than expected. Nacho Vidal went on loan to Mallorca in the face of great competition for his position and Chimy Ávila seems to be next. The Argentine, despite having a contract until 2026, could have a new destiny in this market, leaving behind lights and shadows despite his quality.
