The Leicester fairy tale continues as Claudio Ranieri’s side are still much alive in Champions League and visit Sevilla today. The Foxes have a poor run in Premier League this season as they are on the verge of falling into the relegation zone, while their journey in Europe reminds us of the team that surprised the whole world last year.

Jorge Sampaoli’s Sevilla is a hard rival for them to overcome, as the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan outlet are currently breathing on Barcelona’s back in La Liga, having shown some incredible football throughout the championship, including the impressive victory over leaders Real Madrid earlier this year.

The match at Sanchez Pizjuan promises to be an entertaining one. Leicester will try to use their goal opportunities and present the next surprise of the UCL playoffs. Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy will be the cornerstones to rely on. However, Sevilla are in a good run of form, too. Samir Nasri’s renaissance and Vitolo’s velocity will fuel the Spanish side’s engine. Being famous for his ability to fight in cup competitions, Jorge Sampaoli will surely prepare some unexpected moves for Claudio Ranieri.

Team News

Sevilla have been using different playing schemes throughout the season, and it’s hard to predict which one Sampaoli will choose for today’s game. Concerning the squad, there are two missing players for the hosts, as Benoit Tremoulinas and Michael Krohn-Dehli are out due to injuries. Nico Pareja will almost certainly miss the game as he hasn’t recovered from the injury yet. On the other hand, Vicente Iborra is back to the team after sitting out the last game due to suspension.

Leicester City will have to cope without Islam Slimani, who has failed to recover from a groin injury and hasn’t arrived in Andalusia with the rest of the team. Also, Leonardo Ulloa’s participation is still under doubt and Ranieri will make a decision only in the last minute.

Robert Huth is the only player who risks to miss the next match providing that he is booked today.

Head to Head

These two teams haven’t met with each other before and today’s game is their first ever clash. It will make the game more interesting.

What about teams’ form, Sevilla are in a much better position here, having lost only one of last 6 games.

Sevilla: WWDLWW

Leicester: LLWLLD

The club now coached by Jorge Sampaoli are looking to make the last eight of Europe’s elite club competition for the first time since their inaugural continental campaign in 1957/58. That run ended with a heavy quarter-final loss to eventual winners Real Madrid CF (0-8 a, 2-2 h). Their only previous two-legged knockout tie against Premier League opposition brought a 4-3 aggregate success (2-1 h, 2-2 a) for Sevilla over Tottenham Hotspur FC in the 2006/07 UEFA Cup quarter-finals.

This is the first time that Leicester have survived in a European campaign beyond Christmas. Two of the Foxes’ three previous European campaigns ended against Spanish opposition. Club Atlético de Madrid eliminated them in both the 1961/62 European Cup Winners’ Cup first round (1-1 h, 0-2 a) and the 1997/98 UEFA Cup first round (1-2 a, 0-2 h).

Possible lineups

Sevilla – Sergio Rico, Mariano, Lenglet, Rami, Escudero, N’Zonzi, Iborra, Vitolo, Nasri, Vazquez, Jovetic

Leicester – Schmeichel, Simpson, Morgan, Huth, Fuchs, Mahrez, Ndidi, Drinkwater, Albrighton, Okazaki, Vardy

Prediction

Sevilla are looking firm to grab three points at home with all the odds favoring them over Leicester. I believe that Sampaoli’s side will push hard today to secure their ticket to the quarters and decide the outcome of the tie here and now. That’s why I think that Sevilla will score at least two goals. Most probably, they will earn a 3-0 victory.

My bet is “Sevilla Total Goals over 2” with odds 1.82 at Vbet.com.