Sevilla vs APOEL Nicosia Predictions

Sevilla have been a near-constant threat in this competition over the years. They head into this week’s Europa League clash with APOEL once again going for glory. They may have seen some mixed league form, but a thumping opening victory in this group has set them up for another run at the trophy. Can the Cypriot side do anything to slow Sevilla down?

The hosts were shocked by Slavia Prague in this competition last season, while they have racked up UEFA Cup/Europa League success over the years. They now head into this week’s clash among the favourites to go all the way, having claimed a 3-0 victory at Qarabag in their opener. They’ve hit three goals or more in five of their last nine outings in Europe, which should worry APOEL.

The visitors are in dire form on the road in this competition, losing six of their last seven trips. They’ve won just once in 16 games on the road in the Europa League, while they have lost 11 of their last 13 away games in a run dating back to 2013. That’s left them as major outsiders for this week’s clash, which could see Sevilla racking up another three goals.

It’s hard to see anything but a home win this weekend, given how well the Spanish side are playing in Europe at their own ground. Sevilla have won each of their last six Europa League group stage matches on home soil, scoring 20 goals. They are clearly among the strongest sides in the competition, while they should prove the gulf in class between these two on Thursday night.

APOEL have never beaten a Spanish side away from home in European competition, losing eight of their nine such matches including qualifiers (D1), conceding 26 goals in the process (2.9 on average per game). With that poor defensive record behind them, we could see the hosts rack up another big win here. Sevilla are certainly on scoring form, while the problems mount for the visitors.

We are backing over 2.5 goals in this clash, which is well priced given how fancied Sevilla are for a big victory. Given that the hosts are yet to keep a clean sheet at home this term, we see at least three goals scored, while we are also going with a 3-1 home victory for the Spaniards.