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Match Preview: Real Madrid take on Sevilla in their race for the La Liga title

By Alex McVey

SEVILLE, SPAIN - JANUARY 15: Wissam Ben Yedder of Sevilla FC (R) being followed by Toni Kroos of Real Madrid CF (L) during the match against Real Madrid CF during the La Liga match between Sevilla FC and Real Madrid CF at Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on January 15, 2017 in Seville, Spain. (Photo by Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images)
SEVILLE, SPAIN - JANUARY 15: Wissam Ben Yedder of Sevilla FC (R) being followed by Toni Kroos of Real Madrid CF (L) during the match against Real Madrid CF during the La Liga match between Sevilla FC and Real Madrid CF at Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on January 15, 2017 in Seville, Spain. (Photo by Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images) /
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SEVILLE, SPAIN – JANUARY 15: Wissam Ben Yedder of Sevilla FC (R) being followed by Toni Kroos of Real Madrid CF (L) during the match against Real Madrid CF during the La Liga match between Sevilla FC and Real Madrid CF at Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on January 15, 2017 in Seville, Spain. (Photo by Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images)
SEVILLE, SPAIN – JANUARY 15: Wissam Ben Yedder of Sevilla FC (R) being followed by Toni Kroos of Real Madrid CF (L) during the match against Real Madrid CF during the La Liga match between Sevilla FC and Real Madrid CF at Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on January 15, 2017 in Seville, Spain. (Photo by Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images) /

Real Madrid face off against Sevilla in La Liga this weekend. With three matches left to go, Sevilla is Madrid’s toughest challenge on the way to the La Liga title. Here’s Alex McVey with a preview of the match.

Real Madrid’s destiny is in their hands. With three matches remaining, Madrid need two wins and a draw to lock up the La Liga title.

Perhaps the biggest potential stumbling block facing Los Blancos is the upcoming match against Sevilla. Sevilla will be coming to the Bernabéu in an attempt to knock Madrid off their perch.

Madrid, having already secured a passage to the Champions League final in Cardiff, will turn their attention fully to La Liga.

It’s been a mixed bag of a season for Sevilla. The club dispatched their back-to-back Europa League winning coach Unai Emery in exchange for Jorge Sampaoli over the summer.

For the beginning half of the season, Sampaoli had Sevilla firing on all cylinders. They spent much of their time in 3rd place spot in the table, with some even asking whether Sevilla might pip one of Barca or Real to break into the top two this season.

This spring, however, Sevilla found themselves stumbling. After a string of disappointing draws and losses, Sevilla dropped to 4th place in the table.  The high-energy play that Sampaoli demands of his players may have taken a toll on the legs of Sevilla’s squad.

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Real Madrid dumped Sevilla out of the Copa del Rey, thrashing them over two legs with a heavily rotated squad. Madrid’s squad depth could once again come in handy against Sevilla. If Sevilla is suffering from fatigue, Madrid may benefit from having the fresh legs of James, Morata, and Asensio to run Sevilla ragged.

Madrid had less luck against Sevilla away at the Sánchez Pizjuán, where they lost 2-1. That match, Sevilla snapped Real Madrid’s record breaking unbeaten streak at 40 games. The loss also saw Zidane roll out an experimental 3-5-2 lineup, with Ramos, Nacho, and Varane all playing at the back.

While Zidane may make some rotations for this match after an intense midweek affair at the Vicente Calderon, don’t expect him to go for any more tactical experiments.

Technically, Zizou has some room for error. A draw would still leave Madrid in control of their fate, needing two consecutive wins. However, Zidane will be looking to take some of the pressure off those final two matches by snagging all three points against Sevilla.

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