Overview
Sevilla and West Ham United are set to square off on Thursday in the first leg of the Europa League Round of 16. West Ham got here by winning its Europa League group this past fall.
Meanwhile, Sevilla was bounced from the UEFA Champions League after the Group Stage but took care of Dinamo Zagreb in the Knockout Playoff, winning 3-2 on aggregate over two legs.
Last Game Records
The Hammers head into Thursday’s game after losing back-to-back games, including a 1-0 loss against Liverpool last weekend. Meanwhile, Sevilla had a somewhat disappointing scoreless draw with Alaves last Friday.
Matchup Information
- 12:45 pm EST on Thursday, March 10, 2022
- Seville, Spain
- Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium
Sevilla vs West Ham United Betting Analysis
Sevilla Betting Analysis
On paper, Sevilla has an excellent chance of winning the Europa League for the seventh time and for the second time in three years. However, they are also hoping to challenge Real Madrid for the La Liga title, as they currently sit in second place, eight points off the pace. That made last week’s draw particularly discouraging, especially since Sevilla has just one win in its last four matches across all competitions.
Naturally, Friday’s game was a scoreless draw for Sevilla, which has the best defensive record in Spain. In 27 La Liga matches, the Andalusian side has only allowed 18 goals. They’ve also allowed one goal or less in seven straight matches.
Of course, Sevilla has needed a stout defense because the team doesn’t exactly have a potent attack. They only scored five goals in six matches during the Group Stage of Champions League and are a modest seventh in goals scored in La Liga this season. While Rafa Mir leads the way with eight goals, only four players have scored four goals or more for Sevilla this season, so their attacking options can be limited at times.
West Ham United Analysis
West Ham isn’t accustomed to playing this deep in European competitions, so this is a new challenge for David Moyes and the club. At the same time, the Hammers are in a tight race to claim a top-4 spot in the Premier League. West Ham has also hit a bit of a rough patch lately with two losses and two draws in their last five matches across all competitions.
At times, West Ham’s attack has been good enough to carry the Hammers. They scored 11 goals in six matches during the Group Stage and have the fourth-most goals in the Premier League this season. However, the Hammers failed to score against Liverpool over the weekend and have just three goals in their last four matches.
That has put more pressure on a somewhat lackluster defense, at least for a team that wants to make a deep run in a European competition.
While they held Liverpool to just one goal on Saturday, West Ham is eighth in the Premier League in goals conceded. They’ve only managed to keep two clean sheets in their last nine matches.
Team Updates
West Ham appears to be relatively healthy heading into this match outside of center-back Angelo Ogbanna, who has been out since November.
However, there are some questions about Jarrod Bowen’s fitness after he went down with a minor injury against Liverpool over the weekend. As for Sevilla, they have been without winger Suso since December, while forward Anthony Martial picked up an injury last month and remains sidelined.
- One team has failed to score in four of Sevilla’s last seven matches.
- West Ham United has one win in its last five matches across all competitions.
- Sevilla has scored eight goals in its last seven matches.
- West Ham United’s last eight matches have averaged 2.1 goals per game.
Sevilla vs West Ham Betting Preview
All signs point to this being a low-scoring affair. Sevilla has been a tough team to score against all season, and if Bowen is unavailable or isn’t at full strength, that could take away one of West Ham’s top talisman. Of course, while the West Ham defense isn’t elite, the Sevilla attack isn’t always able to find the back of the net.
Sevilla vs West Ham Betting Prediction
The sports betting guides view this as a tight matchup with Sevilla favored at home at +110 while West Ham’s moneyline is at +270. The betting odds for a draw are around +210.
Of those three options, a draw might have the best value, although West Ham’s recent struggles point to a team that might not be able to get a result on the road in Europe.
However, one of the best Europa League picks for this match might be the under on 2.5 goals because either side keeping a clean sheet is a distinct possibility. Of course, taking lesser Europa League betting odds on fewer than 3.5 goals being scored would be the fool-proof bet.
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