Real Madrid suffered a 1-0 defeat to Leganes in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday, increasing the pressure on head coach Santiago Solari, though his side comfortably progressed 3-1 on aggregate.
Los Blancos have endured an inconsistent season and that has not gone down particularly well with a fanbase so used to success.
Ten points off La Liga leaders Barcelona , they host Sevilla under pressure to close that gap – not least because their opponents lie above them in the standings and have already beaten them this season.
| Game | Real Madrid vs Sevilla |
| Date | Saturday, January 19 |
| Time | 3.15 pm GMT / 10.15 am ET |
| Stream (US only) | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial).
New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| beIN LaLiga | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game can be streamed on Eleven Sports 1.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| N/A | Eleven Sports 1 |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Real Madrid players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Navas, Luca, Altube |
| Defenders | Carvajal, Varane, Marcelo, Nacho, Reguilon, Sanchez, Odriozola, Sergio Ramos |
| Midfielders | Casemiro, Jaume, Ceballos, Valverde, Brahim, Isco, Modric |
| Forwards | Vazquez, Vinicius Jr, Cristo, Benzema |
Circumstances dictate that Santi Solari will have to name his strongest available team for the Saturday afternoon kick-off.
Thibaut Courtois, Toni Kroos and Marcos Llorente all remain out, as do Gareth Bale, Marco Asensio and Mariano Diaz.
Karim Benzema plays, though, despite nursing a broken finger.
Star men Sergio Ramos and Luka Modric, who were both omitted in midweek, are back in the fold.
Real Madrid starting XI: Courtois; Carvajal, Ramos, Varane, Reguilon; Modric, Casemiro, Ceballos; Vazquez, Benzema, Vinicius.
Subs: Luca, Nacho, Marcelo, Valverde, Brahim, Isco, Cristo.
| Position | Sevilla squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Vaclik, Soriano |
| Defenders | Gomez, Kjaer, Vidal, Carrico, Escudero, Arana, Gnagnon, Mercado |
| Midfielders | Amadou, Banega, Navas, Sarabia, Lasso, Vazquez, Escudero |
| Forwards | Ben Yedder, Silva, Muriel, Promes, Munir |
Sevilla are without the injured Maxime Gonalons due to an ankle problem while a leg break means that Nolito will not be back in action for several months.
Roque Mesa, meanwhile, is suspended.
New signing from Barcelona, Munir El Haddadi, is on the bench.
Sevilla starting XI: Vaclík; Carrico, Kjaer, Sergi Gomez; Navas, Banega, Escudero, Sarabia, Franco Vazquez; Ben Yedder, Andre Silva.
Subs: Amadou, Vidal, Soriano, Munir, Promes, Mercado, Salvatierra.
Betting & Match Odds
Real Madrid are 7/10 favourites to win with bet365 . Sevilla can be backed at a price of 7/2, while a draw is 16/5.
Match Preview
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Santi Solari is doubtless becoming increasingly aware of the demands of being Real Madrid head coach. Even though his side progressed with some comfort in the Copa del Rey, they were still forced to front up to criticism following a 1-0 loss to Leganes in midweek.
Martin Braithwaite’s early goal condemned the Bernabeu outfit to a surprise loss and forced the coach to admit his side’s shortcomings .
"We got through the tie, but the performance was weak," he admitted following a fixture that saw Isco make a rare appearance under the Argentine.
With Jose Mourinho on the search for a "top" job and linked with a move back to the Bernabeu, the loss has dealt another blow to his aspirations of keeping it on a full-time basis.
Casemiro was equally frank about the team’s recent form.
"We are not in a good place, let's be honest, but we're working hard," he said. "We're in the Champions League last 16, a bit far behind in La Liga and now we're into the next round of the Copa del Rey. Whatever happens we just have to win, regardless of who we face."
The team that next stands in Madrid’s way is Sevilla, who embarrassed them 3-0 earlier this season. A double from Andre Silva and a strike from Wissam Ben Yedder, all in the first 39 minutes, saw the Andalusians rout Madrid, who were still under the guidance of Julen Lopetegui at that point.
Their form has cooled over the intervening period, with just one win in their last five games.
Like Madrid, they were also in midweek Copa del Rey action, dispatching Athletic 3-2 on aggregate despite losing 1-0 on the night.
Saturday’s clash, then, is something of a contest to see who can bounce back and improve their prospects of qualifying for the Champions League next season.
