Champions league: Sevilla vs. Fenerbahce

Sevilla play hosts to Fenerbahce on Tuesday evening in this second leg of the Champions League tie. They need to turn around a three goal to two deficit they picked up in the first leg in Turkey, so will have to be on top form here. Morale is high in the Spanish camp though, despite a surprise defeat away to struggling Deportivo de la Coruña at the weekend.

The defeat in Riazor means they missed their chance to end the week in a UEFA cup spot, but this shouldn’t really concern them too much as they are now five points from a Champions League place which is Sevilla’s main aim this season. If you take into account their disastrous start to the season, with the death of one of their most loved players (Antonio Puerta) Sevilla can be quite pleased with themselves.

Fenerbahce will be without the experience of Roberto Carlos in this match due to a leg injury he picked up in the first leg. This could be a deciding factor as Sevilla’s artillery will be set to attack the Turkish goal from the first minute and won’t let up for the ninety minutes. I think goals in this match are a dead cert, but Sevilla will really have to be careful of Fenerbahce’s counterattack. The Brazilian Luis Fabiano is really in form at the moment and is getting most of Sevilla’s goals. He is the current top scorer of La Liga and I would bet on him getting at least one here.

Since the first leg game Fenerbahce have played three matches and have not been able to get a win in any of them. They lost in their domestic cup competition away to Galatasaray, and in the league have lost one game and drawn the other.

I’m going for a Sevilla win here. They only need to score one goal and keep a clean sheet to go through, but I think we’ll see more than one goal here. Sevilla at home are a force to be reckoned with, and if they can go to Turkey and get two, then it should be more than possible for them to get two more at the Sanchez Pizjuan stadium.

Prediction: Home win (3-1)