Almeria vs Sevilla

A place in the Copa del Rey Round of 16 is at stake as Almeria and Sevilla lock horns at the Power Horse Stadium.

A pair of 2-1 victories against lower-league SS Reyes and Cultural Leonesa in the opening two Copa del Rey rounds catapulted Almeria to this round, handing them a chance to avenge a three-game winless run against Sevilla (D1, L2). Worryingly, ‘Los Rojiblancos’ conceded 2+ goals on each occasion, including a 2-2 draw in their last H2H on this ground. However, Rubi’s men have reigned supreme in the build-up to this fixture, piecing together an incredible 14-game unbeaten streak in all competitions (W11, D3). Furthermore, before drawing 1-1 against Cadiz in their last home outing in 2024, Almeria had won six consecutive home matches, scoring at least two goals in five.

Meanwhile, Sevilla strolled past sub-par La Rozas 3-0 in the maiden Copa del Rey round before dispatching Olot 3-1 in their previous cup tie to move a step closer to lifting their first trophy in this competition since 2010. Stuck in La Liga’s lower reaches following a dreadful 4-2 defeat at Real Madrid, Garcia Pimienta’s side may find this meeting a welcoming distraction, especially considering they had won six consecutive away H2Hs against Almeria before a 2-1 top-flight loss in August 2022. They’re now winless on their last two visits to this venue (D1, L1), conceding precisely twice on both occasions. That doesn’t bode well as they hope to defy an unenviable run of three defeats from their four away matches since the start of November (W1).