Few if any would have tipped this Round 15 fixture between Celta Vigo and Sevilla to be a ‘relegation battle’, but the winner of this important clash will be spending the next week outside the drop zone and the vanquished a week inside it. With just six points separating 12th and 19th when La Liga (LL) resumed, these are the matches that could be looked back on as decisive.
It came as no surprise then that both clubs have recently appointed new managers, and Celta’s new boss Carlos Carvalhal had just one player (defender Joseph Aidoo) on World Cup duty as they played out two December friendlies. He thus had plenty of time to make his imprint ahead of his third LL game in charge of the club (D1, L1) reiterating his commitment to the difficult task by distancing himself from the vacant Portugal national team post during the week.
The makeup of Sevilla’s XI is shrouded in mystery after they had ten World Cup representatives, including three in Argentina’s successful squad. That was prior to releasing Real Madrid legend Isco after a brief and underwhelming stint, adding to the disarray, though their haul of one single clean sheet this LL season has made a greater contribution to their dramatic downfall than Isco’s individual performances.
However eight of Sevilla’s 11 meagre LL points have been earned away from home, with the club losing only to title contenders Real Madrid in their last five LL away trips (W2, D2, L1). With that in mind, a journey to Vigo – where they secured one-goal margin wins (1-0 and 4-3) in the previous two seasons – may be the ideal place for manager Jorge Sampaoli to refocus after the thrill of his beloved Argentina winning the World Cup, four years after he was sacked as national team head coach.
Players to watch: Celta star Iago Aspas has contributed goals in four of his last five LL H2Hs albeit with limited impact (W1, D1, L3) in addition to scoring 60% of his side’s home LL goals this season. Also with H2H form, Sevilla’s Rafa Mir has scored within the first hour in two of his last three appearances against Celta.
Hot stat: The pre-match favourite has won just 29% of Sevilla’s matches this LL season (W4, D5, L5), the lowest percentage of any LL club.
