Real Oviedo vs Sevilla preview, team news, & tips: Adams targets key win in relegation war

Real Oviedo welcome Sevilla to the Estadio Carlos Tartiere on Sunday in what promises to be a desperate affair at both ends of the La Liga table.

The hosts sit rock bottom of the standings on 21 points, eight points adrift of safety with just nine games remaining in their centenary season and their first campaign in Spain’s top flight since 2000-01.

Sevilla, meanwhile, arrive in Asturias under new management after Luis Garcia Plaza replaced the sacked Matias Almeyda during the international break, tasked with steering the Andalusians away from a relegation battle that few saw coming at the start of the season.

The Sevillistas are in 15th on 31 points, just three clear of the drop zone, and this fixture represents Garcia Plaza’s first match in charge.

For Nigerian football fans, this contest carries particular intrigue thanks to two Super Eagles internationals on the Sevilla books.

Striker Akor Adams has been the visitors’ standout performer this campaign, leading the scoring charts with seven goals and three assists across 24 La Liga appearances, including a goal and two assists in the 4-0 demolition of Oviedo in the reverse fixture back in December.

Fellow Nigerian international Chidera Ejuke also got on the scoresheet that day, coming off the bench to seal the rout with a tidy finish in the 89th minute, and the winger will hope the change in management breathes new life into his opportunities at the club having made just 16 league appearances so far, contributing one goal and one assist.

Match Preview

Real Oviedo’s Season of Struggle

This was always going to be a testing year for Real Oviedo, but nobody at the Carlos Tartiere could have imagined it would go quite this badly.

Promoted via the playoffs last summer after a 24-year absence from the top flight, the Asturian club have lurched from one crisis to the next, burning through three managers along the way.

Veljko Paunovic, the man who secured promotion, was the first to go in October after picking up just 10 points from eight games.

His replacement Luis Carrion failed to win any of his eight matches in charge before being sacked following that 4-0 hammering at Sevilla in December.

Uruguayan Guillermo Almada, who arrived from Real Valladolid in controversial circumstances, is now the man in the dugout and has overseen a slight uptick in results, with four wins, nine draws and 16 defeats the overall record after 29 games.

The numbers paint a bleak picture for the hosts: 20 goals scored (the fewest in the division) and 48 conceded, with an average of just 0.69 goals per game.

Their recent form offers little comfort either, with one win (1-0 vs Valencia), one draw (1-1 at Espanyol), and two defeats (3-0 at Rayo Vallecano, 4-2 at Levante) from their last four outings before the break.

Sevilla’s Turbulent Campaign

Sevilla’s season has been defined by instability, both on the pitch and in the boardroom.

Garcia Plaza becomes the ninth permanent coach since the club parted ways with Julen Lopetegui back in 2022, a staggering rate of managerial turnover that speaks to deep-rooted problems in the Nervion district.

Under Almeyda, who managed 32 competitive matches this season, Sevilla won just eight of their 29 league games and recorded the third-worst losing percentage in the club’s La Liga history.

A run of one win from their final eight matches under the Argentine sealed his fate, with the 2-0 home defeat to Valencia on March 21 proving the final straw.

Sevilla’s form over their last five reads: one win (1-0 at Getafe), two draws (1-1 with Rayo, 2-2 at Betis) and two defeats (5-2 at Barcelona, 0-2 vs Valencia).

Still, the squad has quality, particularly in attack where Adams has emerged as a reliable source of goals and the creative talents of Ruben Vargas and Djibril Sow offer a goal threat from midfield positions.

Home and Away Form

Real Oviedo’s home record stands at three wins, five draws and six defeats from 14 matches at the Carlos Tartiere this season.

That makes them one of the weakest home sides in the division, though the tight confines and hostile atmosphere of the stadium have occasionally made life uncomfortable for visiting sides.

Sevilla’s away form is equally unimpressive, with four wins, three draws and seven defeats on the road, and an average of just around 1.29 goals scored per away game this term.

Away from the Sanchez Pizjuan, Garcia Plaza’s new side have won just two of their last 10 on the road. and drawn five of their most recent away fixtures in a row.

Head-to-Head

Before this season, the two clubs had not faced each other in La Liga for over 25 years.

The last meeting before 2025-26 was back in 2000, when a Real Oviedo side battling relegation stunned Sevilla with a 3-2 away victory in Andalusia.

Historically, Real Oviedo actually hold the better head-to-head record, with three wins to Sevilla’s one and two draws across six all-time meetings.

However, the reverse fixture earlier this season was a thoroughly one-sided affair.

Sevilla ran out comfortable 4-0 winners at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on December 14, with Akor Adams opening the scoring inside four minutes and later setting up both Djibril Sow and Batista Mendy.

Chidera Ejuke completed the rout from the bench, and Oviedo’s misery was compounded when David Carmo was sent off for two bookable offences late on.

That defeat proved the catalyst for Luis Carrion’s sacking that same evening, underlining just how significant this fixture has been in Oviedo’s turbulent season.

Team News

Real Oviedo

Guillermo Almada will be without Angolan centre-back David Carmo, who remains sidelined, while versatile midfielder Luka Ilic continues his recovery from an Achilles injury that has kept him out since March.

Former Nottingham Forest man Ovie Ejaria is also unavailable through injury, further limiting Almada’s options in midfield.

On a more positive note, veteran playmaker Santi Cazorla is expected to be available after missing the Levante defeat through suspension, and his influence in the final third will be crucial if Oviedo are to cause problems.

Uruguayan striker Federico Vinas, who leads the scoring charts with six goals in all competitions this season, started up front against Levante and is likely to retain his place.

Moroccan winger Ilyas Chaira has been one of the few bright spots, chipping in with four league goals, and should start on the flank alongside the industrious Haissem Hassan.

Predicted Real Oviedo XI (4-4-1-1):Aaron Escandell; Nacho Vidal, Eric Bailly, David Costas, Javi Lopez; Haissem Hassan, Santiago Colombatto, Santi Cazorla, Ilyas Chaira; Alberto Reina; Federico Vinas

Sevilla

Luis Garcia Plaza faces a key absence in midfield with Lucien Agoume suspended for the trip north.

Centre-back Marcao remains a long-term absentee through injury, though the rest of the squad emerged from the international break in reasonable shape.

Garcia Plaza is expected to revert to a flat back four rather than the five-at-the-back system that Almeyda favoured for much of his tenure.

Akor Adams is certain to lead the line given his status as top scorer, with Alexis Sanchez likely to partner him in a front two or provide support from wider areas.

Veteran defender Cesar Azpilicueta could return to the starting lineup after appearing on the bench in the last few games, while Joan Jordan may deputise for the suspended Agoume in the engine room.

Chidera Ejuke, who has five-star skill moves and blistering pace, may find himself involved from the start if Garcia Plaza opts for a more attack-minded approach.

Predicted Sevilla XI (4-3-3):Vlachodimos; Cesar Azpilicueta, Nemanja Gudelj, Kike Salas, Jose Angel Carmona; Djibril Sow, Joan Jordan, Batista Mendy; Ruben Vargas, Akor Adams, Alexis Sanchez.

The Managers

Guillermo Almada (Real Oviedo)

The 56-year-old Uruguayan took charge in mid-December after being poached from Real Valladolid, a move that caused considerable friction between the two clubs.

Almada’s pedigree is largely built in the Americas, where he won four trophies at Pachuca in Mexico, including the 2024 Concacaf Champions League, and a league title with Barcelona Guayaquil in Ecuador.

His task at Oviedo has been thankless, inheriting a squad low on confidence and short on quality at the highest level.

Under Almada, results have stabilised slightly with the odd battling draw, but wins remain painfully rare and relegation looks all but inevitable barring a miraculous run.

Luis Garcia Plaza (Sevilla)

The 53-year-old Spaniard makes his Sevilla debut in this match, having been appointed on March 24 to replace the sacked Almeyda.

Garcia Plaza brings a wealth of La Liga experience, having managed 229 matches in the division across spells with Levante, Getafe, Villarreal and Alaves, averaging 1.12 points per game.

He has also coached abroad in the UAE, China and Saudi Arabia, and notably secured promotion to La Liga with both Real Mallorca and Deportivo Alaves in recent years.

His brief is straightforward: keep Sevilla in the top flight, starting with this trip to the Carlos Tartiere where a positive result against the bottom side will be the minimum expectation.

Tactical Preview

Almada has largely settled on a 4-4-1-1 or 4-2-3-1 shape at Oviedo, with the emphasis on defensive solidity and playing on the counter through the pace of Chaira and the hold-up play of Vinas.

Oviedo tend to sit deep and invite pressure, which suits teams who like to dominate the ball.

Their key weakness is clear: they simply do not score enough, averaging under 0.7 goals per game in the league, and the supply line to Vinas has been inconsistent.

Garcia Plaza is expected to shift Sevilla to a back four, moving away from Almeyda’s 5-3-2, which should free up an extra attacking player and provide more width.

A 4-3-3 would allow Vargas and Sanchez (or Ejuke) to stretch Oviedo’s back line while Adams occupies the centre-backs with his physical presence and aerial ability.

Sevilla’s main threat could come from midfield runners exploiting the space behind Oviedo’s narrow midfield bank, with Sow and Mendy both capable of driving forward into the final third.

For Oviedo, set pieces offer their best route to goal, and the returning Cazorla’s delivery from dead ball situations could prove vital.

Final Score Prediction

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