It is the best team in Andalusia, but Sevilla is a nearly club on the national stage, impressing in European competition, but often in the shadow of El Clasico back home.
And so it is again this season with Barcelona and Real Madrid battling it out for the league title, while the latest La Liga 2020 betting odds predict Sevilla will secure a top four position.
When La Liga returns this week, the opening fixture against Real Betis will be watched around the world. It’s a game Los Palanganas should win, at odds of 1.873 here at SBOBET, and that would cement them in third place.
Bosses in Andalusia
While Sevilla has spent the last few seasons chasing Barcelona and the Madrid clubs, Real Betis and Granada have looked up to their neighbours in Seville.
You have to go back to 1946 to find Los Palanganas’ last La Liga title, but they have also won five Spanish Cups – the last in 2010 – and a record five Europa Leagues which includes a hat-trick of triumphs between 2014 and 2016.
They return to action this week and they are unbeaten in six. They currently sit in third place in the league table, a point ahead of Real Sociedad and Getafe and two clear of Atletico Madrid.
They are the epitome of consistency in the Spanish League. After a single season in the Segunda Division at the turn of the millennium, Sevilla have been in the top half of the table in every one of the last 18 campaigns – including a fourth placed finish in 2017.
A canny coach and a together team
Julen Lopetegui has done much to restore his reputation this season, after he left the Spain national team on the eve of World Cup 2018 for the top job at Real Madrid.
He then crashed and burned spectacularly at the Santiago Bernabeu, getting the sack in October after his side suffered a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Barcelona.
Sevilla announced the signing of Lopetegui in June 2019 by handing him a three year deal and the first campaign has gone very much to plan.
He is back to the form that made him a successful coach at Porto and has a win percentage of 54 in his first season as Sevilla boss.
And while the La Liga 2020 news will continue to be dominated by the likes of Leo Messi, Sergio Ramos, Luis Suarez, and Eden Hazard, Sevilla has a team of its own stars, but with smaller egos and an unerring passion for their teammates and the club.
Captain Jesus Navas has Sevilla running through his veins as he was a fan-favourite in a glittering career between 2003 and 2013. And after a four year stint at Manchester City, he returned to captain his home team.
In January, Navas became the first player to make 500 appearances in all competitions for Sevilla when he featured in a 1-1 draw versus Athletic Bilbao.
Midfield ace Ever Banega, at 31, provides plenty of experience and bite in the middle of the park.
His Argentine compatriot Lucas Ocampos is top scorer with ten goals which includes a penalty to earn a draw against Atletico Madrid just before the break. At 6-foot-2 and 25 years of age, he is a powerful presence with time on his side.
24-year-old Munir El-Haddadi and 25-year-old Oliver Torres are both dangerous attacking midfielders.
While in the centre of defence, Diego Carlos Santos Silva is a commanding leader, while 23-year-old full-back Sergio Reguilon, who is on loan from Real Madrid, is a real prospect.
Best player in the world
While the current crop of Sevilla players are more substance than show, back in September 1992, the club hit the headlines by signing Diego Maradona in a £4.5-M deal which stunned the football world.
The Argentina legend and former Napoli star had left the Serie A club in disgrace after copping a 15-month ban for cocaine abuse.
He was the player of the tournament in the 1986 World Cup, lifting the trophy as captain of Argentina. And days after his arrival in Andalusia, Sevilla’s membership grew from 26,000 to 40,000 as the club made an excess £2.2-M in ticket sales.
Fans hoped the 31-year-old could replicate the success he had at Napoli, who had never been champions of Italy before he won two Serie A titles there, but alas, he could not deliver for Sevilla. However, he showed the fans plenty of his magic in a season in which he scored five goals in 26 games.
There are few better sights in football than a packed Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium and fans still remember the Maradona year.
Now they look to the future.
To wrestle the title from reigning champions Barcelona this season would be an incredible feat, but next season Sevilla will be ready to challenge again.
But this week, the plan is simply to win the Seville Derby and keep hold of that third place.
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