GETTING READY FOR GAME NUMBER 61

Sevilla FC are preparing for the last match of the 2018/19 season which started all the way back in July when Sevilla came up against Ujpest from Hungary in the first qualifying round for the UEFA Europa League group stage. Ten months of competition will come to an end on Saturday against Athletic Bilbao in the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán in what will be the 61st match of the campaign. This is two more than last season when the team reached the Copa del Rey final and the Champions League quarter-finals.

Saturday's match against the Basque side is anything but trivial since both Sevilla and Bilbao are coming into the match with the European hopes not yet confirmed. The Nervionenses, currently in sixth place, will look to secure their direct access into the Europa League, while Bilbao will be looking to leapfrog them with a win.

Sevilla will be looking to secure direct access into the Europa League, while they still have hopes for Champions League qualification

Garitano's team, seventh in the league, will be looking to overtake Sevilla with a win and move out of the spots which require the three qualifying rounds which Sevilla went through this year. Athletic Bilbao can only achieve this with a win at the Sánchez-Pizjuán. It is therefore a crucial game for Sevilla who, should they manage to maintain themselves in sixth, would start the season midway through August in La Liga and not at the end of July. Sevilla also have the faint hope of qualifying for the Champions League should they beat Bilbao and Getafe and Valencia lose.

To date, with the draw against Atlético Madrid, Sevilla have managed 31 wins, 10 draws and 19 defeats - unbeaten in 68.3% of their matches. Wissam Ben Yedder and Pablo Sarabia stand out in terms of goals scored, 29 goals and 22 respectively. Both also stand out with their assists - 17 for the Spaniard and 10 for the French striker, with Banega in the middle of them with 11.