(Football news) Seville is getting ready for 2017 LaLiga Santander season’s second Gran Derbi. It is now the Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán’s turn to host El Gran Derbi, with much more than just pride on the line, following the 1-1 draw at the Estadio Benito Villamarin in the first half of the season. Both teams are in an intriguing position in the league standings and are also vying for European qualifying, which bodes well for an engaging contest.
Just a few days had passed since Sevilla FC’s meeting against Juventus in the second leg of their Europa League semifinal. For José Luis Mendilibar, two of the most crucial games of the season will take place over the course of three days, but Los Nervionenses are optimistic because the new manager has improved Sevilla FC’s form.
Mendilibar has won six, tied one, and lost one of his eight La Liga Santander matches in command of Sevilla FC. Sevilla FC would be in first place with 19 points, ahead of Atlético de Madrid (18 points in the same period) and FC Barcelona and Girona FC (17 points), if one just included the matchdays since Mendilibar’s debut.
Real Betis are also in strong shape, having won two straight games against groups that are also vying for entry into Europe. With six straight victories, Manuel Pellegrini’s team is currently in sixth place in the table, which would guarantee them a spot in the Europa League for the upcoming season.
They have won 1-0 away at Athletic Club and then 3-1 at home against Rayo Vallecano in the last two matchdays. They can still hope to finish fourth and earn a Champions League spot, but in order to do so, they must defeat Sevilla FC there. Real Betis have only triumphed there once in their previous nine trips, a stunning 5-3 away victory in the 2017–18 campaign.
The final derby for Joaquin
Joaqun Sánchez’s final Gran Derbi will take place this year. The Real Betis winger will play his 42nd match against Sevilla FC at the Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán before retiring at the end of the current campaign, if you add up all the encounters he has had with them for all the clubs he has played for in his career. More than 20 years have passed since his first Gran Derbi, which took place in LaLiga SmartBank on November 19, 2000, and throughout that time he has broken numerous records in Spanish football.
Beyond the fact that it’s a derby, this game always includes a lot of subplots. This time, it’s extra crucial because we’re in Matchday 35, the crunch time of the season, when the stakes are higher and the tension and rivalries are at their peak. We are once again assured of a spectacle in Seville with Mendilibar and Pellegrini in the dugouts and with players of the ability of Jess Navas, Sergio Canales, Lucas Ocampos, and Borja Iglesias.
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