La Liga Focus - Real Madrid and Sevilla meet in vital clash at the Santiago Bernabéu
When Real Madrid face Sevilla on Sunday, they will have the opportunity to achieve a target they rarely need to pursue - revenge. The most expensive team in history may have been in impressive form recently, but many will have forgotten that their opponents at the weekend were the first to condemn the new Galácticos to defeat.
The teams met six weeks into the campaign at the Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán. Los Blancos had made a perfect start to the season, collecting the maximum points from their first five matches and scoring 16 goals along the way, but they came unstuck against a fluent and organized Sevilla side who themselves had scored 12 goals despite losing to Valencia in their opening match. The home side outfought and outplayed their Galactic visitors - the slenderness of their 2-1 winning margin maintained only by the typically exceptional goalkeeping by Iker Casillas.
On that October evening, Sevilla expertly utilized their wingers - the irrepressible Jesús Navas, who was rewarded for his efforts with the opening goal, and Diego Perotti. Having gone a goal ahead they were able to wait for their opponents to come forward before countering with speed and precision. All three goals in the match came from headers but this did not tell the story of an encounter which showcased slick and expansive football. This, however, may be Sevilla’s downfall when the two sides meet at the Santiago Bernabéu on Saturday night.
To come to Madrid with ideas of playing fast-tempo, counter-attacking football is like turning up at the Camp Nou with plans to out-pass your opponents - some things just don’t work. In fairness to the Sevillistas, claiming their only invention comes from the wings discredits a team that have consistently demonstrated the ability to score goals from all over the pitch. But without the services of the injured Luís Fabiano in attack and the suspended Koffi Romaric in midfield, the visitors will again be looking to Navas and Perotti for moments of inspiration. However, the wingers may have found joy on home turf five months ago but they will find repeating the task in front of 80,000 hostile fans – who have yet to see their side drop a single point at home this season - another matter entirely.
Sevilla’s hope of stifling the giants rests on Manolo Jiménez’s aptitude in selecting a side capable of matching their superstar counterparts. In the absence of Fabiano against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, he opted for a 4-5-1 formation with Lautaro Acosta playing just behind lone striker Freddie Kanouté. But Acosta - who himself has just returned from a long-term ankle injury - was a factor in the team failing to gel as they clearly struggled with the unfamiliar set-up. Also, the writing was on the wall for a drab 0-0 affair after Romaric’s red card. Jiménez will have learnt from the experience and ex-Madrid striker Alvaro Negredo will most likely accompany Kanouté to give the visitors more attacking presence. In defence, they will be all too aware of their opponents’ ability to score goals and will remember the last time they visited one of La Liga’s top two - a 4-0 demolition at the hands of Barcelona at the Camp Nou.
The encounter also represents a significant point in Real Madrid’s season. They may be trailing Barcelona by two points, but with the continued brilliance of Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuaín, coupled with the mounting quality of Kaká’s performances, Los Blancos are developing into the team their rivals feared they would. They have scored a staggering 17 goals in their past four games, including six against Villarreal in a scintillating display. Their overall goal tally for the season, 64, is five more than the total scored by rivals Barcelona, while only Manchester United and Arsenal who have both notched up 66 with the help of four additional matches, have scored more in England or Italy. Indeed, Los Galácticos are beginning to look like the real deal.
Sevilla will be the first of Madrid’s top four rivals to visit the Bernabéu before the climax of the season. El Clásico will take place on April 11 - two weeks before Valencia make the journey to the capital. To be within two points of the lead in the knowledge that your nearest rivals are yet to visit will be a comforting thought for Manuel Pellegrini, as he prepares to lead his side to glory. Sunday’s tie may not reveal all in whether or not he will achieve his ultimate goal, but it could certainly play a significant part.
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