Sevilla vs Copenhagen

Sevilla’s hopes of advancing to the Champions League knockouts for the first time since 2020/21 are hanging by a thread ahead of Copenhagen’s visit to the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.

No longer the masters of their destiny, Sevilla will be out to arrest an underwhelming four-game winless Champions League start (D2, L2) and hand their fragile bid to overturn Borussia Dortmund’s five-point lead a lifeline. Jorge Sampaoli navigated Sevilla to a 1-1 draw at Dortmund on his second touchline debut for the club in the Champions League. But unless he can show them a way to victory over Copenhagen, they’ll be out of the competition. Scoring has been a genuine problem for ‘Los Rojiblancos’ in Europe this season, as they’ve racked up a measly average of 0.5 goals per game. Sevilla’s scoring woes stretch far beyond the Champions League. They head into proceedings on the back of nine consecutive matches in which they netted under 1.5 goals!

On the other hand, Copenhagen are in a similar position as their hosts, having experienced identical fortunes in the opening four Champions League rounds (D2, L2). Unlike Sevilla, the Danish heavyweights have yet to get off the mark in Europe this season and are entering this round as the only Champions League side yet to score in 2022/23! That only amplifies the visitors’ fears ahead of their bid to beat Spanish rivals in major European competitions for the first time in club history at the 14th time of asking (D5, L8). With two of Copenhagen’s last three Champions League outings yielding a 0-0 scoreline, they could reach a rare milestone and become the first side since 2015/16 to play out three goalless draws across a single season in the competition.