Liverpool vs Sevilla preview, H2H, team news, line-ups and prediction

Liverpool will be aiming for their first-ever victory against Sevilla when they host the Spanish side at Anfield in their final pre-season fixture on Sunday.

The Arne Slot era has already kicked off and it has been nothing short of promising.

Saying it is spectacular could seem an exaggeration but all indications from their performances are pointing towards exciting times at Anfield.

It is important to note that as of now, Slot has yet to acquire any new signing but that has not derailed his side from putting up reputable performances with youngsters like Fabio Carvalho, Harvey Elliot, Jarell Quansah and Conor Bradley impressing.

With a possession-based system of playing out from the back, goalkeeper, Caoimhin Kelleher has been outstanding with his distribution and saves.

All through preseason, the Reds have shown two remarkable sides of their dynamic system, their ability to keep possession and create foray of chances and their ability to be compact when trying to face a lead or when facing a superior side.

Their dominance was evident in the preseason games against Real Betis and Manchester United where they controlled large facets of the game. Against Arsenal, it was a different approach, especially after going two goals up. Mikel Arteta’s side were the more dominant side and were on the front foot, pinning Liverpool back to their defensive third.

Despite this, their compact, resolute shape was effectively in motion, with constant pressing and closing down on players limiting Arsenal to very little space and time to create something substantial. The Gunners ultimately ended the game with only two shots on goal despite having 64% of possession.

Against United, Slot got the better of his Dutch compatriot, Erik Ten Hag as Liverpool cruised to a 3-0 win.

Carvalho continued to impress in the preseason by netting the opening goal inside the first ten minutes in a packed Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia – his second goal in two matches.

They doubled their lead 26 minutes later through Curtis Jones after good work from Mohammed Salah to lay it on a plate for his teammate to tap in.

Although United had some good spells in the first half and the second half to at least half the deficit, it was Liverpool who got the next goal through Konstantinos Tsimikas to put the game to bed.

The Reds are now back in England as they gear up for their final preseason clash against Spanish side, Sevilla at Anfield before travelling to Portman Road for their Premier League opener away to Ipswich Town on August 17.

For Sevilla, they head into this fixture at the back of a win against Premier League side, Fulham.

Garcia Pimienta has gotten off to a mixed start since being appointed in June, winning two and losing two matches so far. He becomes the fourth manager of Sevilla in just under a year after José Luis Mendilibar, Diego Alonso and Quique Sánchez Flores.

Sevilla had a disappointing 2023-24 campaign where they didn’t reach any spot to secure European qualification despite playing the Uefa Super Cup final in the same season.

The Rojiblancos only won a meagre 10 matches lost a whopping 17 matches and ended the season on a disappointing 41 points.

Pimienta will now be looking to change the tides at the club this season and has already shown signs of hope in preseason so far.

The Spanish side kicked off their preseason campaign with a 2-0 loss against South Premier Soccer League side, Orlando Pirates before losing 2-1 to Primeira Liga champions, Sporting CP. A 1-0 victory over Al-Ittihad soon followed before an impressive but underwhelming 2-1 victory over Fulham courtesy of an Isaac Romero double.

They’ll face the daunting challenge of winning their second consecutive game against a compact and dominant Liverpool side on Sunday.

Liverpool vs Sevilla match details

• Date: Sunday, August 11, 2024
• Location: Liverpool, England
• Venue: Anfield Stadium
• Kick-off time: 11:30 AM UTC, 12:30 PM BST
• Tickets: Fas can buy Liverpool vs Sevilla tickets from trusted reseller Seatsnet.com.

Match stats and head-to-head

• Sevilla have netted in all but one of their preseason matches, scoring six goals so far. The only match they failed to score was in their opening preseason game where they lost 2-0 to Orlando Pirates.

• Liverpool’s 3-0 win over United saw a record 77,559 attendance at the Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, a record for the highest-ever attendance in a single match in South Carolina.

• The last time these two sides met was in a pre-season friendly in 2019 where Sevilla won 2-1 at Anfield.

• In competitive fixtures, both teams have only met in three matches with Sevilla winning one and the other two ending in a draw.

• The Reds have scored 50% of their goals in preseason between the 30th and 45th minute of the game.

• Sevilla have not lost a game to Liverpool since 2016, drawing two and winning two including the 3-1 win in the Europa League final.

• The last time these two sides met in the UEFA Champions League showcased a goal fest. The Rojiblancos came from three goals down in the first half to mount a stunning comeback in the second half to secure a 3-3 draw in the 2019 Group E fixture.

Team news

While some international contingent that participated in the recently concluded European Championship returned to the squad, some international stars including Loic Bade and Juanlu Sanchez are still at the Olympics where they’ll square off against each other at the final for France and Spain respectively.

The likes of Jesus Navas, Marcos Acuna and Gonzalo Montiel are already back from holidays after reaching the Euros and Copa America finals respectively. However, it is uncertain if they’ll take part against Liverpool as they begin to build match fitness.

Albert Sambi Lokonga who arrived from Arsenal this summer, is nursing a hamstring injury and is unlikely to return before Sevilla’s Laliga opening match against Pimienta’s former team, Las Palmas.

Slot has been enjoying a fully fit squad since his appointment. Curtis Jones returned to the side in the win over United after recovering from an injury.

Liverpool also had a host of players who played in the semi-finals and finals of their respective continental tournaments who returned to the squad.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz all returned to the AXA Training Centre after they participated in the European Championship while Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez also reported back to base after they participated in the Copa America semi-final.

Predicted starting lineup

Liverpool predicted starting lineup:

Kelleher; Bradley, Konate, Van den Berg, Tsimikas; Elliott, Endo, Gravenberch; Salah, Jota, Carvalho.

Sevilla predicted starting lineup:

Dmitrovic; Carmona, Salas, Gudelj, Pedrosa; Saul, Sow, Bueno; Lukebakio, Iheanacho, Ocampos.

Prediction

Ahead of the Premier League opener in a couple of days, Liverpool will look to finish their preseason campaign on a high note with a win over Sevilla.

The Reds have never recorded victory over the Spanish side and the clash on Sunday would present them with their first chance albeit in a friendly encounter.

Pimienta will also use the match to exhibit the possessional traits his sides are renowned for during his time with Barcelona B and Las Palmas and doing so against a tough opponent like Liverpool would be an exciting challenge.

We’re predicting a 2-1 win for Liverpool.