Sergio Rico looks to punch the ball clear at Los Cármenenses
Pre-match reports

SEVILLA PREPARE TO FACE RELEGATION-FIGHTING GRANADA

21/04/2017
Sevilla face a Granada side fighting to avoid relegation at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán tonight

Sevilla welcome Granada to the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán on Friday night looking to record a first victory over the Los Cármenes outfit since 2014.

Granada sit 19th in the table and are without a win in the seven games stretching back to March 1, a run of form which saw sporting director Tony Adams replace Lucas Alcaraz as manager until the end of the season – the third man to occupy the hot seat this season.

The former Arsenal captain’s first game in charge did not go to plan last weekend however, with his side falling to a 3-0 home defeat against Celta Vigo. The defeat – their 20th of the campaign – left Granada seven points adrift of safety with six games remaining.

Away form has cost Los Nazaríes this season, with the record as the only team not to have won confining them to the foot of the table for games played on the road. They have scored the fewest goals of any side in La Liga away from home (11), while conceding the most (44).

20 nationalities are represented in the side, with just five Spaniards in the squad from which Adams will select his side for the 21.00 CET kick off in Nervión.

Despite their league position Sevilla will be weary of the challenge posed by Granada on Friday night, with Jorge Sampaoli’s side looking for revenge following their defeat at Los Cármenes in December.

Wissam Ben Yedder’s last minute penalty was not enough to peg back Granada who had gone 2-0 up thanks to goals from Andreas Pereira and David Lomban.

Pereira, the 21-year-old Brazilian on loan from Manchester United, is one threat in Adams’ armoury to look out for with four goals from midfield this season. Mehdi Carcela-González and Artem Kravets are also capable of causing Sevilla problems, with the latter finding the net seven times this season.

The game is one of four games to be played at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán in the six-game run in, and Sevilla can see the ground as an omen having won 14 of the 18 first division games against Granada in Nervión as they look to improve on recent form which has seen them record one win in seven games.

Sampaoli will not be able to call on the services of Samir Nasri or Adil Rami, who did not make the squad despite returning to training following their respective injuries. Vitolo also misses out after being substituted in the first half of Sunday's game against Valencia with a hamstring injury.