Real Madrid Clash with Sevilla: Battle Preview, Bold Predictions & Starting XI Revealed

More than 80,000 supporters will gather under the stadium lights at the Bernabéu to witness Real Madrid conclude their year against Sevilla on Saturday night.

Los Blancos are keen to put 2025 behind them. The 15-time European titleholders secured no silverware, said goodbye to club icons Carlo Ancelotti and Luka Modrić, and spent most of the campaign chasing Barcelona in the La Liga table.

Real Madrid presently find themselves four points behind their arch-nemeses and will aim to temporarily narrow that deficit with a victory over Sevilla in their last fixture of the calendar year. Real boast a 13-match undefeated streak against their forthcoming adversaries, who have managed only six victories this season.

However, recent stalemates with Rayo Vallecano, Girona and Elche, plus an unexpected loss to Celta Vigo, provided Matías Almeyda's team the roadmap for securing a favorable outcome against Xabi Alonso's struggling outfit.

Here is Sports Illustrated's preview of the La Liga encounter.

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Real Madrid vs. Sevilla Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)

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How to Watch Real Madrid vs. Sevilla on TV, Live Stream

Real Madrid Team News

Alonso continues to be without the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dani Carvajal and Éder Militão. Additionally, Brahim Díaz is representing Morocco at the Africa Cup of Nations, while Álvaro Carreras and Endrick remain sidelined through suspension.

The positive development for the Spanish manager is that Ferland Mendy, Eduardo Camavinga and David Alaba have rejoined training sessions before Saturday's match. The trio are working to be match-fit for the Sevilla encounter. Fran García, meanwhile, is expected to start at left-back following his one-game suspension.

All attention will focus on Kylian Mbappé, however, as the French striker seeks to etch his name in club folklore. Should the superstar attacker net twice, he would surpass Cristiano Ronaldo's record for most goals scored in a calendar year by a Real Madrid player.

Real Madrid Predicted Lineup vs. Sevilla

Real Madrid predicted lineup vs. Sevilla (4-2-3-1): Courtois; Valverde, Rüdiger, Huijsen, F. García; Güler, Tchouaméni; Rodrygo, Bellingham, Vinicius Junior; Mbappé.

Sevilla Team News

Almeyda faces challenges with an extensive list of unavailable players for Saturday's journey to the Bernabéu. Both Akor Adams and Chidera Ejuke are representing Nigeria at AFCON, while numerous Sevilla players remain injured.

Rubén Vargas, Adnan Januzaj, Tanguy Nianzou and Gabriel Suazo are all sidelined through injury, while Kike Salas, Marcão, César Azpilicueta and Ørjan Nyland undergo late fitness assessments and are questionable for the club's year-ending fixture.

Former Arsenal striker Alexis Sánchez is set to spearhead Almeyda's offensive line, partnering with Isaac Romero, who returns from suspension. The duo will aim to replicate their displays against Barcelona, when both found the net to guide Sevilla to a surprising victory over the reigning La Liga champions.

Sevilla Predicted Lineup vs. Real Madrid

Sevilla predicted lineup vs. Real Madrid (5-3-2): Vlachodimos; Carmona, Cardoso, Gudelj, López, Oso; Sow, Agoumé, Mendy; Romero, A. Sánchez.

Real Madrid vs. Sevilla Score Prediction

Sevilla's weakened roster presents an ideal chance for Real Madrid to conclude 2025 with maximum points. Despite fielding a patched-up defensive line, Alonso's squad possesses sufficient talent to restrict the visitors' opportunities on Saturday night.

Surprisingly, greater concerns exist around Los Blancos' talent-rich forward line, which has found it difficult to generate scoring opportunities against even weaker opposition this campaign. Nevertheless, as he has done repeatedly since arriving in the Spanish capital, Mbappé possesses the class to carry his team to triumph—and could create history in the process.

Prediction: Real Madrid 2–1 Sevilla