RETURNING TO LA LIGA AFTER OCTOBER INTERNATIONAL BREAK IS NEVER EASY

Domestic competition returns this weekend after the second international break of the season. For Sevilla FC, their fixture is on Sunday at 21.00, when they welcome Levante UD to the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán. It will be the 9th league game of the season, with Levante coming into the game with 11 points, two less than Sevilla, and sitting in 10th position in the league.

There's no doubt that Sevilla will be well up for the game and will go into it with confidence. If we were to look back over the last decade, and how Sevilla have fared when La Liga has returned after the October international break, we would find a mixed bag of results. Since the 2009/10 season, Sevilla FC have won four, lost four and drawn two in the matchday immediately after the October international break. This gives us a 40% win rate and a 60% unbeaten rate.

After the return of the October international break, over the last ten years Sevilla have won four out of a possible ten

Additionally, in the aforementioned match over the last two seasons, Sevilla have lost both times: once to Athletic Club de Bilbao and the other time to FC Barcelona. Before these, Sevilla were on a spell of being unbeaten in this fixture for six years: with four wins and two draws. Likewise, of the ten games mentioned, Sevilla have played eight away from home and only two in the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán. They did however win said fixtures in Nervión, against Sporting de Gijón and Mallorca in the 2011/12 and 2012/13 seasons respectively.

This time around, Julen Lopetegui's men, as he stated today when he appeared on SFC Radio, will have to be completely focused when La Liga returns this weekend and give the best version of themselves possible when they face Levante. Levante are coming off the back of a win over Leganés in their last league outing which took place on the 5th October.