Sevilla vs West Ham news: Resilient Hammers can deny in-form Spaniards a first leg advantage

Sean Fisher
10 March 2022

West Ham haven’t reached a European quarter-final for over 40 years, and if they’re to do it this season they’ll have to topple another side enjoying a superb domestic campaign.

Not many predicted West Ham to be battling for top four in the Premier League and in the last 16 of the Europa League at the start of the season, but David Moyes' side have once again upset the odds.

Their silverware hopes took a blow last week as they bowed out the FA Cup to Southampton, leaving the Europa League as their last chance for a trophy this season.

The Hammers are among the favourites to lift the cup, but so too are their opponents Sevilla, who have won the Europa League a record six times.

The Spanish side have enjoyed a phenomenal season in La Liga and currently sit second, seven points clear of Barcelona in third and eight off Real Madrid at the top.

So as both teams aim to cap off their impressive seasons with a trophy, we can expect an action-packed two-legged tie between the two sides.

When: Thursday, March 10, 17:45 GMT

Where: Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium

Where to watch: BT Sport

Or follow live updates via our match centre

Recent form

The Spaniards come into the game in good form, with their only loss in their last nine fixtures coming in the second leg of their Europa League round-of-32 clash.

In the league, Sevilla continue to boast the best defensive record, having only conceded 18 goals in 27 games. Their only issue has been too many draws, with their 10 stalemates only bettered in La Liga by Cadiz' 12.

It's at the other end of the pitch where Sevilla have struggled, with their 39 league goals ranking them seventh in La Liga, despite them sitting second overall.

As for West Ham, consecutive losses against Southampton in the FA Cup and Liverpool in the league tarnishes what has been a good recent run for David Moyes' side.

Before the two defeats the Irons were unbeaten in five games and they can consider themselves unlucky to have lost to Liverpool, who relied on a superb defensive performance and some poor finishing to claim the points.

Europa League runs

Sevilla ended up in the Europa League after finishing third in their Champions League group.

Drawn into Group G, Sevilla were pitted against 2021 Ligue 1 winners Lille, RB Salzburg and Wolfsburg.

Three consecutive draws at the start of the group stage left them needing a strong finish, but Julen Lopetegui's side only managed one win, a 2-0 victory over Wolfsburg.

Having finished third behind Lille and Salzburg, Sevilla were demoted to the Europa League, where they faced Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb in the round of 32.

A 3-1 victory in the first leg thanks to goals from Ivan Rakitic, Lucas Ocampos and Anthony Martial was enough to see them into the next round, despite losing the second leg 1-0.

As for West Ham, Moyes' side topped Group H in the Europa League, finishing above Genk, Rapid Wien and Dinamo Zagreb.

Their only loss in the group stage came against Zagreb in the final match, when they fell to a 1-0 defeat in a game were they handed debuts to seven Under-23 players.

Having topped their group, West Ham progressed directly to the round of 16.

Sevilla and West Ham players in form

Ivan Rakitic celebrates scoring for Sevilla

West Ham will be eager to shut down Ivan Rakitic in the centre of midfield. The former Barcelona star is enjoying a productive season with Sevilla, registering six goals and four assists.

The 33-year-old has scored twice in his last five games, including in Sevilla's Europa League win against Zagreb.

With plenty of European knockout experience under his belt, he's set to be an influential figure for Lopetegui's side on Thursday night.

Anthony Martial is another to keep an eye on. While the Frenchman is yet to truly settle down in Seville this season, he has an extremely impressive goal record against the Hammers.

In 13 appearances against West Ham, Martial has six goals and five assists to his name, including three goals and two assists across five cup ties.

As for West Ham, with Bowen absent Moyes will be hoping Pablo Fornals can step up as a creative outlet for his side.

The Spaniard has been a consistent performer for the Hammers this season and has racked up five goals and four assists in the process. With the 26-year-old likely to play centrally behind Michail Antonio, he'll need to link up West Ham's midfield and attack.

Craig Dawson is a surprise name on this list, but the towering centre-back deserves a mention after scoring twice in West Ham's last five games.

Managers' thoughts

David Moyes said: "The bigger problem for me is playing Sevilla because of their history in the competition and how well they've done this season, especially. I also see it as a great opportunity to play one of the best teams in European football. They've been very good over many years so it's a game I'm looking forward to.

"I see this as being a great game for us - a great stadium. We've got this one here, then we'll be really looking forward to welcoming Sevilla next week.

"In many of the big games this season we've stood up and been counted. Sometimes against some of the lesser teams we've found it harder, but obviously we're playing a very good team tomorrow night."

Julen Lopetegui paid huge respect to Thursday's opponents ahead of the first leg, claiming they are the "most complete team" left in the competition.

"We have the dream of the Europa League. We got West Ham, which is the most complete team in the draw."

Predicted Sevilla vs West Ham teams

Sevilla could be without a number of key players for the first leg, with Thomas Delaney suspended, while Erik Lamela, Suso, Gonzalo Montiel, Diego Carlos, Karim Erkik, Fernando, Papu Gomez and Anthony Martial all missed Friday's La Liga clash with Alaves through injury.

A handful of those names are expected to return to the fold for Thursday's clash, but Lopetegui will still be without key players.

As for West Ham, Bowen has been ruled out after suffering a heel injury against Liverpool.

The club confirmed that their star winger showed no signs of any significant injury, but the game might come too soon. Tomas Soucek also seemed okay at the weekend despite suffering a facial wound against Southampton the game prior.

Declan Rice's involvement is in question though, after the England international fell ill on Thursday evening, ruling him out of the defeat to Liverpool.

On Wednesday, Moyes mentioned his captain is a doubt for the clash: "He trained today. He's been really unwell with illness. He's with us. If Declan's fit and available, then certainly he'll play.

Sevilla: Bono, Acuna, Gudelj, Kounde, Navas, Rakitic, Papu Gomez, Jordan, Ocampos, Mir, Corona

West Ham: Fabianski, Cresswell, Zouma, Dawson, Johnson, Benrahma, Soucek, Rice, Fornals, Vlasic, Antonio

Sevilla vs West Ham prediction

West Ham will happy to return from Spain still on level terms and with stalemates having been an issue for Sevilla this campaign, a tightly contested 1-1 draw seems the way to go.