Sevilla vs Valencia: Ejuke in, Umar Sadiq out — Preview, team news, tips & H2H

Sevilla host Valencia on Friday in La Liga’s matchday five, and the two clubs arrive at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán in contrasting form, Afrik-Foot reports.

Super Eagles winger Chidera Ejuke is firmly in Luis Garcia Plaza’s plans after featuring in all four of Sevilla’s league matches so far, scoring once off the bench and earning a place in the starting lineup against Espanyol last time out.

His Super Eagles teammate Umar Sadiq, however, will not travel to Seville, after Valencia confirmed a right hamstring injury sustained during their defeat at Deportivo La Coruna on August 30.

That injury, combined with Valencia’s calamitous 5-0 home defeat to Barcelona on September 6, leaves Los Che in deep trouble at the bottom of the La Liga table with a single point from four matches.

Sevilla vs Valencia match preview

Sevilla started the 2026-27 season with back-to-back wins, beating Rayo Vallecano 2-1 at home and Athletic Bilbao 3-1 in Bilbao.

A 3-1 home defeat to Atletico Madrid on matchday three brought Luis Garcia Plaza’s side back down to earth, though the manner of the loss was largely about the quality of the opposition rather than any systemic collapse from Sevilla.

They followed that with a 1-1 draw at Espanyol in Catalonia, a result that could have been all three points had it not been for a late equaliser.

Seven points from four games has Sevilla placed seventh on the La Liga table, level on points with Atletico Madrid.

For Valencia, the picture is grim. After a goalless draw with Celta Vigo in their opener, Carlos Corberan’s side have lost three consecutive matches, conceding nine goals in the process and scoring just once.

The rock-bottom performance came at Mestalla last Saturday, when Barcelona put five past them without reply, with Lamine Yamal scoring twice.

Valencia sit bottom of La Liga on one point, with a goal difference of minus eight.

They finished ninth under Corberan last season, so this collapse was not widely anticipated, and the Spaniard will be acutely aware that his early-season credibility is on the line.

A lengthy injury list has not helped. Sadiq, the former Almeria and Real Sociedad striker, was Valencia’s most dangerous attacking threat before his hamstring injury.

Without him, the bulk of the goalscoring burden should fall elsewhere, but no other Valencia player has scored this season.

Head-to-head record: Sevilla vs Valencia

Perhaps the only sliver of encouragement for Valencia is the recent head-to-head record.

Sevilla have failed to beat Valencia in six consecutive La Liga meetings, a run stretching back to a 3-1 home win in September 2021.

Overall, the all-time head-to-head across all competitions is tight, with Sevilla holding a narrow edge in recent decades.

In the last 37 meetings between both sides, Sevilla have won 15 times, Valencia 12, with 10 draws between them.

Sevilla will view Friday’s meeting as the best chance they have had in years to snap that losing run, given the state of the visitors.

Team News: Sevilla vs Valencia

Sevilla

Sevilla go into this one with a largely clean bill of health. The most recent lineup, a 4-3-3 at Espanyol, saw Odysseas Vlachodimos in goal behind a back four of Juan Iglesias, Arouna Sangante, Kike Salas and Gabriel Suazo.

Sangante was sent off at the RCDE Stadium, so he will serve a suspension here, which could see Fabio Cardoso or Marcao step into the centre of defence alongside Kike Salas.

Giorgi Kochorashvili, Lucien Agoume and Jon Guridi formed the midfield three, with Ejuke, the Super Eagles star, on the left wing alongside Robbie Ure and Miguel Sierra in attack.

Ejuke, who has been used predominantly from the bench since arriving at Sevilla in 2024, started the Espanyol game and looks to be growing into a more prominent role under Garcia Plaza.

Isaac Romero and Peque offer forward alternatives, while Lucas Stassin, the Belgian teenager who arrived on loan from Saint-Étienne, is another option up front.

Valencia

Valencia’s absentee list is significant. Sadiq’s hamstring injury is the headline, but Guido Rodriguez, Diego Lopez, Sergi Canos, Jose Copete and Luis Rioja are all ruled out.

Stole Dimitrievski, the North Macedonia international, will continue in goal.

Corberan has settled into a back-five system this season, with Pepelu dropping into the centre of a three-man defence alongside Mouctar Diakhaby and one of Arnau Martinez or Cesar Tarrega.

Pablo Maffeo and Jesus Vazquez have operated as the wing-backs, with Maffeo starting in the 5-0 loss to Barcelona.

David Otorbi, Aliou Dieng and Filip Ugrinic make up the midfield options, while Arnaut Danjuma has been the primary forward in every game so far.

Javi Guerra has alternated between a midfield role and a second striker depending on the shape Corberan selects.

Star player comparison: Chidera Ejuke vs Hugo Duro

The managers: Garcia Plaza vs Carlos Corberan

Luis Garcia Plaza took charge of Sevilla in March 2026, replacing Matias Almeyda with the club drifting towards the bottom half of the table.

The 53-year-old stabilised the ship sufficiently to finish 13th, and his summer rebuild has been decisive.

Garcia Plaza has La Liga experience from stints at Levante, Villarreal and Mallorca, and has a reputation for pragmatic, organised football built on defensive solidity and quick transitions.

Carlos Corberan arrived at Mestalla in December 2024 after Ruben Baraja was sacked following a poor start to the 2024-25 campaign.

The Spaniard, who cut his teeth under Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds United before managing Huddersfield and West Brom in England, dragged Valencia from the relegation zone to ninth in 2025-26.

The early evidence of 2026-27, though, suggests the structural problems at the club under Peter Lim’s ownership have not gone away, and Corberan’s summer squad has been weakened by injuries before it has had a chance to gel.

Tactical preview: Sevilla vs Valencia

Sevilla have settled into a 4-3-3 under Garcia Plaza, with Kochorashvili operating as the deepest of the three midfielders and Chidera Ejuke drifting infield from the left flank.

Chidera Ejuke’s directness and dribbling ability give Sevilla a different dimension in the final third, and his willingness to run at defenders will test the wide areas of Valencia’s back five.

The loss of Sangante to suspension forces a change at centre back, but Marcao or Cardoso should slot in without significantly altering the defensive structure.

Corberan has committed to a back five at Valencia this season, alternating between a 5-3-2 and a 5-4-1 depending on the opposition.

Against Barcelona, he went with a flat midfield four shielding a three-man centre-back unit of Diakhaby, Pepelu and Arnau Martinez, with Maffeo and Jesus Vazquez as wing-backs.

Pepelu’s conversion from midfielder to centre-back has been one of the more notable tactical shifts of Corberan’s tenure, and it explains why Valencia’s midfield has at times looked lightweight.

Arnaut Danjuma carries the sole attacking burden as the furthest forward, with Javi Guerra providing the nearest support from central midfield.

The key question for Sevilla is how to break down a low block that will pack the central areas with bodies.

Width will be critical, and Suazo’s overlapping runs on the left alongside Chidera Ejuke could overload Maffeo’s side of the Valencia defence.

Equally, Juan Iglesias and Miguel Sierra on the right may find space against Gaya or Vazquez if Corberan prioritises protecting the centre.

Valencia’s counter-attacking threat is limited without Sadiq, but Danjuma’s pace in behind could still punish any defensive complacency from the hosts.

Sevilla vs Valencia betting tips and predictions

Final score prediction: Sevilla vs Valencia