🏏 Sat, 21 Mar 2026 21:00 CET
Sevilla
vs
Valencia
Positions estimated vs 4-3-3 ※ estimated
Substitutes
Substitutes
Match Preview
- Sevilla's front line is built around Alexis Sanchez, the Chile icon whose career has taken in Barcelona, Arsenal, Inter and Marseille. Alongside him is Neal Maupay, the 172cm France-born striker on loan from Marseille who built his reputation scoring in the Premier League with Brighton and Everton, plus Switzerland international Ruben Vargas, a former Augsburg regular whose pace down the left is his calling card.
- Valencia line up in a 4-3-3 with 22-year-old academy graduate Javi Guerra at the heart of midfield. At 187cm he combines physical presence with the vision to dictate tempo, and he has attracted attention from bigger clubs. Portuguese No.10 Andre Almeida, signed from Vitoria de Guimaraes, supplies creativity in tight spaces, while 185cm Uruguayan Gaston Rodriguez handles the duels and aerial work.
- Sevilla answer with Djibril Sow, the Switzerland box-to-box midfielder who reached a Europa League final with Eintracht Frankfurt, and 24-year-old Lucien Agoume, schooled at Inter after starting out at Sochaux. Sow's engine and Agoume's recoveries and distribution are the tools Sevilla need to shut the central lane that Guerra and Almeida want to control, with 22-year-old Juanlu Sanchez shuttling between winger and full-back on the flank.
- There is a Swiss subplot worth watching. Vargas and Sow wear Sevilla colours, while Valencia's back line features Eray Comert, the Basel-raised Switzerland centre-back who has since played for Nantes, Sion and Real Valladolid. The 28-year-old is valued for his one-v-one defending and positioning, so his duel with international team-mate Vargas on the touchline could decide how much width Sevilla generate.
- Height is Valencia's defensive currency. Cesar Tarrega stands 194cm and posts one of LaLiga's best aerial win rates, with 189cm Unai Nunez, an Athletic Club product, reading danger early to intercept. Sevilla's starting attack is the opposite profile - Maupay is 172cm and Vargas thrives on acceleration - so the visitors will invite crosses and dare Sevilla to find space in behind instead.
- Sevilla's defence is stacked with mileage. Cesar Azpilicueta, a 500-plus appearance man at Chelsea who has also worn Atletico Madrid, Marseille and Osasuna shirts, can fill right-back, centre-back or left-back. Next to him, 34-year-old Serbia international Nemanja Gudelj switches between centre-back and holding midfield, while 188cm left-footed academy graduate Kike Salas offers the progressive passing from deep.
- Both goalkeepers bring serious international mileage. Odysseas Vlachodimos, the 188cm Greece international, played Champions League football at Benfica and is comfortable enough with his feet to join the build-up. Stole Dimitrievski, North Macedonia's long-serving No.1, knows LaLiga inside out after spells at Rayo Vallecano and Granada, and his shot-stopping consistency is Valencia's safety net.
- The benches point in different directions. Valencia can call on 192cm Nigeria international Umar Sadiq, Netherlands winger Arnaut Danjuma - a former Villarreal and Tottenham man - and Lucas Beltran, the Argentine on loan from Fiorentina who won the Copa Libertadores with River Plate. Sevilla counter with Nigerian speedster Chidera Ejuke, who troubled Barcelona during his CSKA Moscow days, and left-footed Manchester United academy graduate Adnan Januzaj.
- Academy pathways run through both squads. Sevilla start canteranos Juanlu Sanchez and Kike Salas and keep Isaac Romero and Jose Angel Carmona in reserve. Valencia go further: captain Jose Gaya is a club symbol who helped win the 2019 Copa del Rey, Javi Guerra came through the same route, and 23-year-old Jesus Vazquez, at the club since the age of five, waits as Gaya's designated successor.