A FIRST LALIGA HOME MATCH IN OVER A MONTH, AGAINST A COMBATIVE VALENCIA

It is true that only a week has past since the last home match, the UEFA Champions League opener against Salzburgo. However, it has been significantly longer since the team's last match in LaLiga at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán, maybe the longest ever period between two league home matches. 38 days and three consecutive away trips later, LaLiga is back in Nervión and it is back with a clash between two top-flight mainstays, Sevilla and Valencia. After three straight draws, despite being unbeaten, Julen Lopetegui's side are looking to pick up a much-needed win to climb up the table and leave some teams behind, even with the game in hand. 

Julen Lopetegui does have some decisions to make regarding the fitness of some of his players. He confirmed in yesterday's pre-match press conference that Fernando and Suso were unable to train, and maybe even some other players could miss the clash for various reasons. Of course, the fixtures continue to come thick and fast, with a home match against Espanyol preceding a Champions League away day at Wolfsburg both coming within a week. However, this is a fixture that has been quite kind to Sevilla lately, with four consecutive wins and clean sheets against Valencia. Since his arrival in Andalusia, Julen Lopetegui also has a very positive record against José Bordalás, with four wins out of four against Getafe, and again with four clean sheets. 

Lopetegui's Sevilla have won four straight matches against Valencia, and against Bordalás

However, Bordalás and Valencia are not free from injury worries either. They do have three confirmed absences arising from the weekend, with midfielder Carlos Soler and both starting full backs, Gayá and Correia, missing out. Ex-Sevillista Cheryshev and Piccini will also be unavailable. Valencia come to Sevilla on the back of a defeat at home to Real Madrid, in which they led 1-0 in the 86th minute before losing 2-1. Howeveer, before then, they had taken 10 points in four matches, only dropping points in a draw away at Granada. Carlos Soler has scored three already in the league this season, but, as for players who could play tonight, Gonçalo Guedes leads the way with two. 

Tonight's clash will be officiated by José María Sánchez Martínez, from Murcia, a referee who has already taken charge of a Sevilla win this season, the win at Getafe in Matchday 2. The Nervionenses have eight wins, two draws and five defeats when he has taken charge, compared to Valencia's record of four wins, three draws and six losses. Xavier Estrada Fernández from Catalonia is on VAR duty.