Sevilla v Barcelona Bet Builder Stats & Predictions
Sevilla v Barcelona
Kick Off: Sunday 26th May, 20:00
Competition: La Liga
Watch Live: Premier Sports 1
For Bet Builder stats at your fingertips, head over to Andy’s Opta-powered Bet Builder stats tool, free to use on his website. Expert insight on major European leagues, Scandinavian and International football can be found in the football predictions section.
La Liga concludes on Sunday with Sevilla hosting Barcelona at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan. It has been a forgettable season for both teams. The hosts appeared to be in severe relegation difficulty for a period but a recent run of four wins in five has lifted the Rojiblancos into a comfortable mid table position.
On January 27, Xavi announced his decision to leave Barcelona at the end of the season.
On April 24, Barcelona announced that he would remain at the club through 2024/25.
Today, Xavi looks set to depart the Catalan giants this summer.@Abuy2j: https://t.co/8LWtx6iIOi pic.twitter.com/8aaRVddtlW
— Breaking The Lines (@BTLvid) May 21, 2024
Barcelona, meanwhile, are destined to finish second, yet it appears that may not be enough to save Xavi’s job as head coach. Hansi Flick is lined up to take his place and the club is shrouded in uncertainty as the team travels to Andalucia for this encounter but will be seeking to give the legendary figure a positive send-off if this is indeed his final game in charge. Here is the best advice for your Sevilla v Barcelona Bet Builder.
Match stats: Barca to put Sevilla in a corner
The teams come into this match in very different form. Sevilla have lost their last three matches after securing survival while Barcelona have won each of theirs. Barca, though, have finally nailed down second place and may ease up here.
Ominously for the home side, their goals have dried up in recent games. They have failed to score in their last two games, despite creating 2.2 xG, whereas Barcelona have kept three successive clean sheets, albeit giving up 2.9 xGA over those games.
Three years after playing a key role in Lille’s Ligue 1 title, Boubakary Soumaré faces an uncertain future at Leicester City.
As his loan spell at Sevilla nears the end, does Soumaré have what it takes to revive his fortunes at the King Power?@ZachLowy: https://t.co/7Spuagij5b pic.twitter.com/WI3nOO0Tkc
— Breaking The Lines (@BTLvid) April 12, 2024
Barca, meanwhile, have scored at least two goals in their last seven matches. With Sevilla floundering in front of the opposition net and having leaked 7.2 xGA over their last three matches, it hints that the visitors will simply have too much firepower for their hosts here.
The corners market is another interesting one. Barcelona have won at least six corners in five of their last six matches and are priced at 2.2 to continue that streak. They won 13 when the sides last met. Given that Sevilla have conceded at least eight of these situations in their last three games this price looks excellent.
Furthermore, Barcelona to win more corners than their hosts at 1.73 is also an appealing price. While the Catalans are on a streak of winning at least six per game, Sevilla have only won this number in two of their last 22 La Liga games.
Barcelona have tied down Pau Cubarsí to a contract through 2027, with an automatic option to renew his deal through 2029 once he turns 18 years of age in January.@LiamAStewart takes a look at Cubarsí’s emergence in Barcelona’s defense: https://t.co/RxaEfUzD87 pic.twitter.com/7RuLiWqczF
— Breaking The Lines (@BTLvid) May 10, 2024
Prediction:
Barcelona to win more corners @ 1.73
Barcelona to over 5.5 corners @ 2.2
Shooting stats: Raphinha and Fermin Lopez to continue hot streaks
With nothing riding on this game, it is worth noting that both coaches could rotate away from what is traditionally seen as their strongest options, particularly on the Barcelona side, with several players reportedly unhappy at their lack of game-time under Xavi. This could act as fuel for these fringe stars to impress a potential new boss.
Young midfielder Fermin Lopez should continue for Barca having delivered some eye-catching displays of late, notably coming off the bench to score against Real Madrid. In his five starts since March, he has had shots on target in five games and notably scored a double against Almeria in the previous away game. Raphinha, meanwhile, is strong value in the to score or assist market. He is priced at 2.0 but has had a direct hand in a goal in six of his last seven starts.
Since 2017, only two La Liga players have scored 0.40+ non-penalty expected goals and 0.40+ expected assisted goals per 90 minutes in the same season:
-Lionel Messi (17/18, 18/19, 19/20)
-Raphinha (22/23, 23/24)@fc_mossman on Barça’s Brazilian winger: https://t.co/L5C1sFoSHy pic.twitter.com/yxePTa26fG
— Breaking The Lines (@BTLvid) April 18, 2024
In the Sevilla side, Youssef En-Nesyri clearly carries their threat, having scored 15 league goals this season. His success is based on efficiency. He has netted 15 of his 28 shots on target. For this reason, he is better value to score anytime at 2.5 than he is to have at least two shots on target at 2.25.
As a wildcard, Dodi Lukebakio is one to watch. He has started the past couple of games and has had one shot on target in each of his last four appearances as well as six of his last seven. He also had six efforts when these teams met in September, one of which hit the target. His minutes, though, have typically been limited, making his price of 1.53 a little risky.
Predictions:
Fermin Lopez to have 1 or more shots on target @ 1.44
Raphinha to score or assist @ 2.0
Youssef En-Nesyri to score anytime @ 2.25
Fouls stats: Cancelo offers value
When these teams previously met, there were five cards, three to Sevilla, who committed 15 fouls, and two to Barcelona, who committed 11 indiscretions.
Las Palmas fell to 10 men after six minutes and Sevilla capitalized, with Youssef En-Nesyri opening the scoring before halftime & Dodi Lukebakio doubling it in extra time.@vishnua711 on En-Nesyri: https://t.co/fjY520vSlZ@shaunconnolly85 on Sevilla: https://t.co/rBz72otdgH pic.twitter.com/ezHeTGiXm1
— Breaking The Lines (@BTLvid) April 14, 2024
Look for Fermin Lopez to be heavily involved in the fouls market. The midfielder has 2.63 fouls per 90 this season and gave away two free kicks after coming off the bench as a first-half substitute in the previous game between these clubs. No Barca player has given up more free kicks in La Liga this season than his 40. At 1.17, he offers strong value for one foul, while he is 1.91 to commit a couple.
Joao Cancelo is another who is inevitably involved in these conversations. He has given away at least one foul in each of his last 17 starts and offers superior value to Fermin Lopez. The on-loan Manchester City player has given away at least two fouls in three of his last four starts.
Sevilla centre-back Kike Salas (1.79) and Nemanja Gudelj (1.56) both give up significant numbers of fouls per 90, but like Lukebakio, are not well priced.
Central midfielder Boubakary Soumare, on the other hand, is at a more attractive price. He is 1.53 to commit at least one foul, which given he posts 1.23 fouls per 90 this season, is good value. He is currently on a three-match run without giving away a foul – he has not started four times in succession in his whole career without conceding at least one free kick.
After playing a pivotal role in Manchester City’s treble, İlkay Gündoğan has flourished since making the move to Barcelona on a free transfer, and at 33, he continues to demonstrate why he is one of the finest midfielders in world football.@fc_mossman: https://t.co/zzW4SkI5Mp pic.twitter.com/wyyEKaaC2C
— Breaking The Lines (@BTLvid) April 4, 2024
Predictions:
Fermin Lopez to make 1 or more fouls @ 1.17
Joao Cancelo to make 1 or more fouls @ 1.25
Joao Cancelo to make 2 or more fouls @ 2.1
Boubakary Soumare to make 1 or more fouls @ 1.53
By: @AndysBetClubUK
Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Stefano Guidi / Getty Images
18+ Gamble Responsibly