Sevilla Looking to Start Strong

Club soccer finally returns to Spain with La Liga kicking off this Friday, August 12th. Osasuna will host Sevilla for the first match of the season. Last season, Sevilla finished in 4th place and managed to qualify for the Champions League. Osasuna, however, had an underwhelming season finishing in 10th place. Both of these teams matched up twice last season and Sevilla walked away having won a match and tying the other. Fortunately for Osasuna, the game that ended in a tie was played at El Sadar, which is where this game will be played. As it is the first match of the season, expect both these teams to play with passion in hopes of walking away with points and starting their seasons strong. Caesars Casino & Sportsbook has the match result odds at +145 Sevilla, +210 draw, and +210 Osasuna. Additionally, the over/under goals for the game is set at 2.5 with the under being -175 and the over being +135. New users will receive a Risk-Free Bet of up to $1500 on their first wager.

For Osasuna, their main arrival of the offseason was centre-forward Ante Budimir from RCD Mallorca. The team hopes he will be able to supply many goal-scoring opportunities and contributions. Osasuna also has another centre-foward, Chimy Ávila, who will look to join Budimir in goal-scoring opportunities. This squad will not only look to their centre-forwards in this game but to their other talented players. Expect central midfielder Jon Moncayola to set up both of these attackers in any way possible. With Osasuna having a subtle offensive attack, expect both Manu Sánchez and David García to hold down the defense and help their goalkeeper, Sergio Herrera, from conceding any goals. Osasuna will look to benefit from home-field advantage and thrive off their fans and possibly have a surprising result at the end of the match.

Sevilla had an interesting offseason. They sold centre-back Jules Koundé to Barcelona and centre-back Diego Carlos to Aston Villa. To replace these defensive losses, they acquired centre-back Marcão from Galatasaray and left-back Alex Telles from Manchester United. Compared to Osasuna, Sevilla’s squad is stronger and has better players all around. Centre-forwards Youssef En-Nesyri and Rafa Mir will be crucial in goal-scoring opportunities. These two will look to left-winger Lucas Ocampos and central midfielder Joan Jordán to get them in these situations. Interestingly, Sevilla acquired long-time Real Madrid player Isco during the offseason on a free transfer. He is thirty years old, so it will be interesting to see what he can bring to the squad and if he can help them in other competitions besides La Liga.

I believe Sevilla will have more possession of the ball compared to Osasuna, and therefore, will control the tempo of the match. I think Sevilla, having the better squad, should walk away from this match with points and a step towards another top-four finish. This game will not be a goal fest however, as I think Osasuna will play a very defensive-oriented match and will rely on counter-attacks to score. Each team will have their moments to capitalize and score, but I believe Sevilla will take advantage as their centre-forwards are more talented and equipped than Osasuna’s.

For our expert Sevilla vs. Osasuna prediction take the under on the 2.5 goals scored in the match.