Sevilla 0-0 Villarreal
Two fancied sides cancelled each other out tonight as Sevilla played out a goalless draw with Villarreal.
The 36,000 fans that packed the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan weren’t disappointed by the quality on show, though the fireworks of recent clashes between these two sides were distinctly lacking.
This game has a recent history of goals and cards, but it was more like a game of chess on this occasion—plenty of probing and careful thought, but not the usual fire and fury.
It’s early in the season and a draw is a decent result for both sides. Sevilla had a dreadful run at the business end of La Liga last season and new coach Pablo Machin is setting up a side with resilience.
Meanwhile, Villarreal’s head coach Javier Calleja ensured his team avoided back-to-back defeats at the start of the campaign.
This game is unlikely to feature in the La Liga 2018 highlights package, but there was no lack of commitment from either side. In the end, this was a stalemate between two teams with serious ambitions.
Highlights of the game
Sevilla had the better of the earlier exchanges, playing with purpose and looking the more likely to create chances. Portugal international Andre Silva scored a hat-trick on his debut for Sevilla and the young forward was hungry for more. He was the first to have a shot at goal, picking up a pass from Sergio Escudero and firing just wide.
Then Escudero had a chance when a Pablo Sarabia corner reached him on the left side of the penalty area, but his shot flew wide of the goal.
Ex-Arsenal star Santi Cazorla was busy for the Yellow Submarine. He found Pablo Fornals in space though to no avail; and as Villarreal gathered momentum, Gerard Moreno passed to Cazorla only to be denied.
Calleja has high hopes for new signing Karl Toko Ekambi who was named the best African player in Ligue 1 2017/18. And sure enough, the Cameroon striker forced a save as Villarreal finished the opening half the stronger.
Silva had the first sight of goal in the second half, taking a pass from Franco Vazquez, but he shot just over. As the game began to get a little more stretched, the two teams exchanged scares. Sevilla’s Sarabia headed just wide for Sevilla while Villarreal’s Manu Trigueros took a pass from Santi Cazorla and shot inches over the bar.
Just after the hour, Calleja made a triple substitution, including the introduction of his marquee signing Carlos Bacca to replace Fornals. But it was Sevilla who went on the attack with a flurry of chances, with Escudero, Jesus Navas and Gabriel Mercado all having a go.
Bacca had a sight of goal when Alfonso Pedraza put him in, but his shot from distance was blocked.
Then with less than ten minutes remaining, Machin rolled the dice and replaced Escudero with Wissam Ben Yedder. But even he couldn’t conjure up a goal.
Key Statistics
The SBOBET odds backed a home win, but Villarreal put in a determined display to thwart the hosts.
There were plenty of goals in this head-to-head last season: a 2-2 draw in Seville and a 2-3 away win for Sevilla. However, the statistics in the game tell the tale of a tight, old game with Sevilla edging possession at 52 percent to Villareal’s 48 percent.
There were plenty of shots too. Sevilla won that count by 19 to 14, though there was a fair bit of huff and puff from the hosts as Villarreal was the more threatening with six on target to the hosts’ two.
Both teams kept the ball well with around 85 percent pass accuracy.
There were three red cards in last season’s two games so we were looking for fireworks, but tonight was a quiet affair. There were 27 fouls—one every three and a half minutes—and five yellow cards, but no big flashpoints.
Sevilla still lead in the head-to-head by 22 wins to nine.
What’s next?
These are very early days but La Liga 2018 odds tell us that both these teams will be in the hunt for a top-four place come May. They may need to show more quality in the final third but that will come.
The Yellow Submarine will be keen to get their first victory soon. Villarreal entertain Girona next weekend, and their fans expect a victory against Eusebio Sacristan’s side that was on the end of a 1-4 drubbing to Real Madrid.
Sevilla fans will be happy with their start to the season and can look forward to the Seville derby at Benito Villamarin against rivals Real Betis.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
