TEN GAMES WITHOUT DEFEAT AND AN AVERAGE OF TWO POINTS A GAME IN THE 15 LEAGUE GAMES

It's a similar position to what we've been in in recent years, but now we have to show that this will not end up like those other seasons. Sevilla FC are coming up to the half-way point of the season in good form and with figures that make for good reading and optimism. After three consecutive wins in which they've only conceded one goal, Lopetegui's team sit in third place and are the only team who, at the moment, can keep up with Barcelona and Madrid who face each other in just over two weeks time. It is not difficult to disperse positive data in a team that, along with the UEFA Europa League, are now on a roll of ten games without defeat.

Ever since they were beaten in the Camp Nou on the 6th October, Sevilla FC have beaten Levante, Dudelange and Getafe in three straight home games. They drew 1-1 in the Mestalla and also in Nervión against Atlético; and then got back on the winning streak with five straight wins: Dudelange, Betis and Valladolid away from home, and Qarabag and Leganés at home. In these ten games, Sevilla have a record of eight wins and two draws; scoring 19 and conceding just five. Moreover, it is now 900 minutes of competitve football since they've been behind on the scoreboard, ever since the game against Levante on 20th October kicked off.

They will visit El Sadar on Sunday after 900 minutes of football without being behind on the scoreline

Leaving to one side their perfect European record in these two months, the team has picked up 17 from a possible 21 points during this period. Up until that point, they had picked up juts 13 from a possible 24, something which gave them an average of 1.62 points per game. In these last two months, that average has been 2.43 points per game. These come together to combine in a perfectly simple, 2 points per game average for the La Liga season thus far: which means, on average, a win and a draw every two games. In the meantime, they have also been able to start to slightly distance themselves from their direct rivals in a fight for the Champions League places.

With a four point gap between them and Real Sociedad and Athletic Club, and five between them and Atlético Madrid, it remains to be seen how the team performs in the four matches until the halfway point in the league season is reached. On Sunday, they will travel to visit El Sadar where they will come up against Osasuna, a place where only Athletic Club have been able to win this season. After Sunday's encounter, they will host Villarreal CF and travelling to face Mallorca in their last two fixtures of 2019, before they kick off 2020 in style at home to Gaizka Garitano's side. All of this with the concluding match in the Europa League group phase, along with the debut match in the Copa del Rey, will complicate things that little bit more in this demanding but exciting season.