The La Liga Round 17 match between Real Madrid and Sevilla will take place on 20 December at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. Real Madrid – Sevilla: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Real Madrid
In the previous round the team secured an important 2-1 away win over Alavés. There was talk that the result could impact head coach Xabi Alonso's future, but Real showed character to beat a determined opponent despite a long list of absences. The victory prevented Barcelona from extending their lead; Real remain four points behind the current leaders. The club sit second in the table, although by dropped points Real are currently third, behind Villarreal. It's worth noting their attacking output: Real have scored 34 goals so far this season, the second-highest tally in the division, behind only Barcelona (49).
- At least two goals have been scored in five consecutive Real Madrid league matches.
- The club's strong home run in La Liga spans 15 matches (13 wins, 2 losses).
- This season Real have conceded 16 goals in total, a figure bettered only by Villarreal (13).
Predicted Real Madrid lineup (4-4-2)*
Thibaut Courtois – Federico Valverde, Marco Asensio, Antonio Rüdiger, Víctor Valdepeñas – Rodrygo, Arda Güler, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Jude Bellingham – Vinícius Júnior, Kylian Mbappé.
Fran García's suspension has ended, while Álvaro Carreras, Dani Carvajal and forward Endrick are still serving bans. Defenders Éder Militão and Trent Alexander-Arnold are unavailable due to injury. The participation of Ferland Mendy and Eduardo Camavinga is in doubt. Defender David Alaba has recovered and could return to the squad.
Sevilla
In their last La Liga game Sevilla demolished Oviedo 4-0, but that was only their second win in eight rounds. For the first time since September–October, the side avoided defeat in two consecutive league matches. It should be noted those opponents were from the lower end of the table. Matías Almeyda's team have climbed to ninth, five points off the European places — which is the same margin keeping them clear of 18th place and the relegation zone.
- Sevilla found the net in 15 of their previous 17 La Liga matches.
- The club covered the +1.5 handicap in seven of their last eight away league games.
- At least two goals were scored in eight of Sevilla's last nine Primera División matches.
Predicted Sevilla lineup (5-3-2)*
Odysseas Vlachodimos – Nemanja Gudelj, Andrés Castrín, Fábio Cardoso, José Carmona, Joaquín Martínez Gauna – Batista Mendy, Jibril Sow, Lucien Agoumé – Alexis Sánchez, Akor Adams.
Midfielder Peke Fernández and forward Isaac Romero have completed suspensions. Injuries rule out goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland, defenders César Azpilicueta and Tanguy Nianzou, and midfielder Rubén Vargas. The availability of defenders Marcão and Kike Salas is doubtful.
Referee
Alejandro Muñiz Ruiz (Spain)
Matches – 6 (La Liga, 2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 36;
Average yellow cards per match – 6;
Red cards shown – 1;
Average fouls per match – 25;
Penalties – 50%.
Real Madrid vs Sevilla: Match Prediction
Despite heavy pressure on Xabi Alonso, Real produced an important 2-1 away win over Alavés in the last round. The team now return to the Santiago Bernabéu and will be looking to make amends for the recent home reverse against Celta (0-2). That defeat appears to be an isolated incident — prior to it Real had not dropped points across 10 consecutive home La Liga matches. However, due to recurring defensive lapses, Real have kept a clean sheet in only one of their last four home league fixtures.
Sevilla, on average this season, lose every second La Liga match, but even in poor results the side seldom fail to score. Almeyda's team have scored in 14 of their first 16 league games. On the road Sevilla failed to score in just one of their last 10 away matches in this competition.
Additionally, both teams have scored in seven of the last nine head-to-head La Liga meetings between Sevilla and Real Madrid, although seven of those nine encounters finished in victory for the hosts. Prediction: Home win + Both teams to score – Yes
* For each team the starting lineup listed is from their last match in this competition.