Muriel marca el 0-1 en Butarque en Copa del Rey
Pre-match reports

ONE LAST PUSH TO THE COPA DEL REY FINAL

07/02/2018
Sevilla Football Club face CD Leganés in the second-leg of the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey. Coming into the game 1-1 on aggregate after a strong performance at Leganés, Sevilla have convincingly out-scored their opponents in the cup - with an average of 2.4 goals a game. An electric Sánchez-Pizjuán will be key to an historic fixture for both clubs

Would anyone have predicted it a few weeks ago? Sevilla FC is on the cusp of another monumental cup final - in this case the ninth in its history and the fourth in the current century. Our pedigree in the competition speaks for itself - five-time Champions in the domestic cup, seven-time semi-finalists in the last ten years. And this Wednesday's second-leg of the Copa del Rey shows promising omens for producing another historic day in the Club's 128-year existence. As long as Sevilla are pushed on by the Nervión faithful in what will be an explosive Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán and the eleven Sevillista warriors who pull on the shirt show the fight, desire and heart the occasion demands, we could be in for a very special night.   

Forgetting the 1-1 first-leg and showing the same competitive drive that as got us so far will serve Sevilla well

Though just a 0-0 draw would see us through to the final - after Muriel's fabulous goal in the first-leg led us to a 1-1 away draw - tomorrow's match will mean too much to the Sevilla family for the team to come in looking to hang on to a result. We will need to start with intensity, drive and fury, staying solid at the back whilst building on an impressive Copa del Rey scoring record. There is no doubting that we will need to respect a hugely dangerous opponent - one which has already won in the Santiago Bernabéu on path to the semi-finals - but faith in our own game, conviction in attack and pride in fighting for the Sevilla badge should shine bright from the very first second of the game of the season so far.

Sevilla have scored 17 goals in the Copa del Rey so far, averaging over two goals a game. It's a record that was solidified against one of the toughest defenses in the world in the quarter-finals: with a 1-2 away win in the Wanda Metropolitano against Atlético Madrid, and a 3-1 home win against the Simeone outfit in the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán. Joaquín Correa was the man to give Sevilla that glorious first-leg victory and leads our top Copa del Rey scorers (four goals and one assist). Ben Yedder and Sarabia trail him, with three goals and two assists and two goals and three assists respectively. Together, their goals have helped us see off Cartagena, Cádiz and Atlético Madrid to reach the semi-final of the competition. 

Leganés have scored five of their eight goals in the cup away from home, while Sevilla have averaged 2.4 goals per game in the competition

Leganés - who were promoted to the top flight of Spanish football just two seasons ago - have been the surprise package of the Copa del Rey this year, dumping out Valladolid, Villarreal and Real Madrid on route to the Sánchez-Pizjuán. They have done so by building a fierce defensive line and showing variety in the sources of their goals. Of their eight goals scored in the cup, five have come away from home and all eight have been scored by different players. In their most successful campaign to date in the domestic cup, the Madrid-based side have shown that everyone is willing to work for the team, be it in battling for a clean-sheet, or finding that all-important away goal that saw them through in the last-16 and quarter-finals. Watford loanee Nordin Amrabat has proven an important piece to the Leganés puzzle - adapting to Spanish football well this season.    

Sevilla come into the game with a fantastic record in semi-finals decided in the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán

Though we may come into the game still feeling the effects from a 5-1 drudging at the hands of Eibar on the weekend, the excitement of the occasion should put those memories firmly in the past. If the quarter-final is anything to go by, this Vincenzo Montella side has proven unfortunate defeats in the league do not necessarily mean unfortunate defeats in the cup. It would turn no heads to see Montella's tried and tested line-up of Sergio Rico, Navas, Mercado, Lenglet, Escudero, Banega, N'Zonzi, Vázquez, Sarabia, Correa, Muriel do the honours - having proved themselves a dynamic and well-oiled unit in recent weeks. Sevilla will also be comforted by a good record in second-leg semi-finals at home - having failed come through in just two in fifteen years when return-fixtures have fallen in the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán.  

The omens are there, the players are there, the prize needs no selling. All that is needed now is the support of Sevillistas all around the world and to keep our eyes fixed on the Copa del Rey Final. With a fateful date in April to play for, it's a night to show Sevilla Football Club is alive, kicking, thriving and dangerous.