Real Madrid vs Sevilla live on May 9, 2021 in 180+ countries: Will Los Blancos go top of the Liga table?

May 8, 2021 By Ali M.

Topics: TV Schedules, Real Madrid, Sevilla, La Liga

Victory on Sunday would see Zidane's men go top of the table, but can they pull this off against Lopetegui's impressive side? Here's a preview of Real Madrid vs Sevilla.

Real Madrid vs Sevilla – preview

This Sunday, Real Madrid will be playing hosts to Sevilla in La Liga in one of the most crucial games of their 2020/21 Spanish Primera Division campaign. This Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium showdown kicks off at 3 p.m. as Los Blancos aim to take a huge step in their title defense.

Zidane's men head into this fixture with the golden opportunity of going top of the table, which will be a huge boost, given that there will be only three rounds left once this matchday wraps up. League leaders Atletico Madrid and Barcelona locked horns on Saturday and handed the Merengues the best possible result, drawing 0-0 at the Camp Nou.

This means that the Catalan giants boast 75 points, a mere one-point advantage over Real Madrid's tally of 74, while Simeone's men boast 77. Victory over Julen Lopetegui's side would see Benzema and Co. go level on points with Los Rojiblancos, which is beneficial to Los Blancos.

The tie-breaker in La Liga is the head-to-head record, which the defending champions dominate, having beaten Atletico at home before drawing in the reverse tie. However, Zidane's men must beat their opposition first and there are two reasons for concern.

First of all, the Spanish giants head into this tie on the back of their UEFA Champions League exit. The 13-time winners bowed out in the semi-final, going down 3-1 on aggregate against Chelsea, having drawn 1-1 at home before losing 2-0 at Stamford Bridge.

Then there is the injury crisis in the Spanish capital, with Sergio Ramos, Ferland Mendy, Raphael Varane, and Dani Carvajal all being injured. The first two only returned in the defeat to Chelsea but are already headed back to the treatment table. Fortunately, Real Madrid are unbeaten in the league since January and will look to keep this run going.

As for Sevilla, they should not be underestimated. With five wins from their last six fixtures, there is no surprise as to why Los Nervionenses are only seven points adrift of the league summit. Lopetegui's men did lose 1-0 at home to Athletic Club in their most recent fixture but with 22 wins from 34 games this campaign, the Andalusian club will fancy their odds.

Team news

Real Madrid: Ramos and Mendy have joined Varane, Carvajal, and Vazquez on the injury list, leaving Zidane with a selection headache in defense. Federico Valverde and Vinicius Junior, on the other hand, have been cleared to feature.

Sevilla: Joan Jordan, Jules Kounde and Youssef En-Nesyri are all expected to be fit for this tie. Papu Gomez will be on standby should the aforementioned Spanish midfielder miss out on a starting berth in Sunday's trip.

Key stats

Sevilla have won their last three away games in a row.
However, Los Blancos have triumphed in 19 of their last 24 home ties.
Los Blancos have only failed once to beat their Andalusian opponents in their last 15 home encounters.