Sevilla vs Standard Liege Predictions

Sevilla do tend to have an iron grip on this competition, and they’ll be delighted to be back in the Europa League. The 2016 winners made the last eight of the Champions League last term, so clearly their touch for European success has continued. However, can they pick up in this competition and make another tilt for the trophy? While big rivals like Chelsea and Arsenal are long-term rivals for the vase, this group looks to be a pretty straightforward affair for the Spaniards. Will they start off with three points this week?

Sevilla have a record in this competition which has to be respected, with the side establishing themselves as a top European side. They were unable to get in to the top four in La Liga last term, but that could be for the best given their Europa League past. The hosts haven’t made the greatest of starts in their domestic chase for a Champions League spot yet again, so their goal once again could well be to win Europe’s second tier trophy and secure a backdoor path.

The visitors are huge outsiders here, and that comes amidst a mixed start to their domestic campaign. They sit sixth after seven games, and they’re without a win in back to back outings. That form isn’t ideal for such a difficult trip, especially as they take on Europa League specialists. Standard will need to up their game in order to secure European football next term, or a place in this competition beyond Christmas.

Sevilla haven’t had the greatest domestic form of late, which included losses to rivals Betis and Sunday’s defeat to Getafe. Those defeats have been a blow, and they will be looking forward to what should be a winnable European tie to get their campaign back on track. While they’ve got a patchy return from their recent games in La Liga, the same can’t be said in the Europa League of late.

This season, Sevilla have claimed six wins from six in the Europa League. They’ve got an eight game winning run behind them, which includes the 2016 final. One notable thing about the hosts’ victories so far has been their defence. They’ve kept a clean sheet in their last four wins, and in five of their six so far this term. While the hosts have issues domestically, they should be set for another European clean sheet against a poor Standard side. That has us backing a home win to nil, along with a 2-0 victory for Sevilla.