Sevilla Host Wounded Valencia With Nine Players Out

Nine players out. One goal scored all season. Two own goals — more than actual goals, if you can believe that. Valencia arrive at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán on Friday night in a state of emergency, and that is putting it mildly. Carlos Corberan's side sit dead last in La Liga on a single point, their -8 goal difference the worst in the division by some distance, and the injury list reads like a military casualty report. Guido Rodriguez (muscle), Copete (meniscus), Umar Sadiq (hamstring), Justin de Haas (ankle), Diego López (ACL), Sergi Canós (ACL), and Mouctar Diakhaby — who picked up a groin injury in that 5-0 mauling by Barcelona last Sunday and is now ruled out until mid-October — are all confirmed out. Dimitri Foulquier and Luis Rioja remain doubtful. Copete had been Valencia's standout performer by SAM rating (8.1/10, averaging 4.6 fantasy points per game), so his meniscus problem is a gut punch. The only sliver of light? Harvey Elliott, on loan from Liverpool, has started to find his feet after years of frustration in the premier league.

Sevilla's situation is far more manageable, though not without its wrinkles. Luis García Plaza's men opened the la liga campaign with back-to-back wins over Rayo Vallecano (2-1) and Athletic Club (3-1) before a 3-1 home loss to Atlético Madrid and a 1-1 draw at Espanyol brought things back to earth. Seven points from four games keeps them 6th, well in the European conversation. The discipline issues, though, are a genuine concern — Sevilla have already had two players sent off in four matches this season, and defender Arouna Sangante is suspended here after his red card against Espanyol. Rubén Vargas (7.7/10 SAM) is also sidelined through injury. Lucien Agoumé steps up as the midfield anchor — the Frenchman has a 7.4/10 SAM rating and a steady 7.1 API-Football match rating across four league appearances. Up front, Chukwuemeka Ejuke (7.4/10 SAM, 7.0 match rating, 1 goal in 4 apps) provides the primary threat, while Isaac's return of one goal and one assist in just three apps makes him a genuine wildcard off the bench. Gabriel Suazo at left back has been a quiet revelation — 5 key passes from a defensive position, a match rating of 6.8, a player quietly doing the unglamorous work that good la liga sides are built on.

Here is the thing, though — history complicates what the form table screams. Valencia are unbeaten in their last six meetings with Sevilla, winning three of those, including a 2-0 victory at this very ground last season. Corberan will be leaning hard on that statistic in the dressing room on Friday. For Javi Guerra (7.7/10 SAM) and Filip Ugrinic (7.7/10 SAM, 4 key passes in 4 la liga apps), the job is providing enough structure to give Hugo Duro (7.4/10 SAM) a fighting chance on the counter. But let's be honest — the Valencia that overturned Sevilla in prior campaigns had Copete marshalling the defence, Sadiq scoring goals, and Guido Rodriguez bossing the middle of the park. None of those three are available on Friday. César Tárrega and Jesús Vázquez (6.6 match rating) will have to hold the backline together against a Sevilla attack that, even on an average night, is producing chances. For context on what a functioning la liga attack looks like right now, Raphinha has 6 goals from 4 games for Barcelona, Sergio Camello of Rayo has 5. Valencia have 1 between the entire squad — and it was Umar Sadiq's, who is now injured.

With both the bundesliga and ligue 1 seeing more competitive early-season action, la liga's story so far has largely been Barcelona running riot and everyone else scrambling. Sevilla are one of the clubs genuinely trying to build something — their win at Athletic Club in the early weeks hinted at a side with real defensive organisation and sharp transitions, the kind of football that punishes teams at a lower energy level. Valencia, decimated, winless, and playing without their best centre-back, their goal scorer, and their midfield leader, are exactly that kind of opponent. Kike Salas (7.0/10 SAM, 6.8 match rating) should be solid at the back, and with clean sheet prospects genuinely high here, goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos (7.0/10 SAM) could be a smart fantasy penalty for the weekend. Sevilla win this 2-0, finally end that H2H hoodoo, and keep the pressure on the top four. Valencia's revival — and it will come, eventually — does not start on Friday night at the Pizjuán.