La Liga: Atletico Madrid v Sevilla Match Preview

What: Spanish La Liga
Who: Atletico Madrid vs Sevilla
When: Sunday 25th November, 2012, at 18:00 UK time
Where: Vicente Calderon, Madrid, Spain

Extending their Run

Still in second place behind league leaders Barcelona, Atletico Madrid welcome Sevilla to the Vicente Calderon. With title holders Real Madrid on their trail domestically, Atletico need to come up with a win against the Andalucians on home turf to continue their winning run.

With five points separating Atletico Madrid from their fierce rivals Real Madrid, there is no doubt that the Mattress Makers approach this bout more motivated than ever. However, club captain Gabi declared that his side must concentrate on one game at a time and not the Madrid derby which looms in December.

“In the dressing room nobody is talking about the derby against Real Madrid yet, as before, on Sunday, we have a very important match”, said the midfielder.

Boasting a 100% record at the Vicente Calderon with six wins out of six, Diego Simeone’s side will fancy their chances against Sevilla, who are fresh off an important Seville derby win. The home side have appeared a completely different team this season, and there is a real feeling that they can continue to stay in second for a while yet.

Champions League in Mind

Having finished ninth last season, Sevilla are undoubtedly thinking of a top four finish this year that would allow them to play Champions League football next term. Just two points behind fourth-placed Levante, Los Rojiblancos’ dream could very well turn into concrete reality. However, a tough test awaits them as they face an in-form Atletico Madrid.

A 5-1 win against Real Betis greatly elevated the team’s spirits after three league games without a victory. Sevilla have won just once on the road so far though, and beating a side such as Atletico Madrid at the moment will require a great amount of work. However, former Atletico Madrid winger Jose Antonio Reyes believes his side have high morale following the derby win.

“The game at the Calderon is special for me, but at the end of the day it is just another three points. I've played in that stadium and the game will be more special to me than to my team-mates, but we all have the same motivation, which is the three points. We come to the Calderon high in confidence."

Recent form

Atletico Madrid:
Atletico Madrid 2-0 Getafe (11/11; La Liga)
Granada 0-1 Atletico Madrid (18/11; La Liga)
Atletico Madrid 1-0 Hapoel Tel-Aviv (22/11; Europa League)

Sevilla:
Sevilla 0-0 Levante (04/11; La Liga)
Athletic Bilbao 2-1 Sevilla (11/11; La Liga)
Sevilla 5-1 Real Betis (18/11; La Liga)

Key absences

Atletico Madrid: Silvio; Mario Suarez (suspended)

Sevilla: Alvaro Negredo; Piotr Trochowski; Manu del Moral (doubt); Geoffrey Kondogbia (doubt); Gary Medel (suspended)

Players to watch

Atletico Madrid – Radamel Falcao: The striker is in red-hot form, with ten strikes to his name so far. With a number of big European sides reportedly ready to win his signature, a good showing against Sevilla will only increase his already high stock further.

Sevilla – Jesus Navas: Navas’ trickery on the right wing could be very problematic for Atletico Madrid left-back Filipe Luis. His speed and crossing ability may well be the key to unlocking the home side’s defence.

Match Prediction

With an eye already on the Derbi Madrileno next week, Atletico Madrid will want to keep their gap over their rivals at five points before the big event. Sevilla have high hopes ahead of this one, but facing Atletico Madrid will be a difficult test, as Los Colchoneros are firmly making their mark domestically. Atletico Madrid 2-0 Sevilla.