Sevilla shut the doors ahead of El Gran Derbi as Almeyda plots Betis revenge
Sevilla go behind closed doors in derby week as Almeyda prepares for a crucial Betis clash — with relegation pressure and a score to settle.
Sevilla are keeping things tight-lipped this week — literally. With El Gran Derbi looming on Saturday, the club have decided to lock the gates on their pre-match training sessions.
A bit of breathing room first
After grinding out a win at Getafe on Sunday, Matías Almeyda gave his squad a couple of days off to rest their legs and clear their heads. Smart management, really — derby week is its own beast, and you don’t want players running on empty when the city’s bragging rights are on the line.
The squad returns to the training ground on Thursday, with sessions also planned for Friday and Saturday morning ahead of the weekend fixture.
Shutters down in Nervión
Here’s the interesting bit: before the first leg at the Sánchez-Pizjuán earlier this season, Sevilla opened their training session to supporters. This time around? No such thing. The club have opted to keep preparations private, prioritising a normal working week and squeezing every last drop of tactical prep out of those sessions.
Betis, for their part, are doing the opposite — they’ll train at La Cartuja the day before the match with the doors wide open, letting their fans send them into battle with a bit of noise and energy. Each to their own, I suppose.
Almeyda still serving his ban
Worth noting that Almeyda won’t be in the dugout on matchday — he’s serving the second match of a suspension, so someone else will be barking orders from the touchline while the gaffer watches on.
Why this one really matters
Beyond the obvious local pride — and trust me, there’s nothing quite like a Seville derby for pure, raw emotion — this match carries serious weight in the table:
- Sevilla currently sit five points clear of the relegation zone
- The win at Getafe, combined with other results, has given them a bit of breathing space
- But they’ll be well aware that a derby defeat could quickly change the mood around the club
And there’s a score to settle, too. In the first leg, Betis came to the Pizjuán and nicked all three points thanks to goals from Pablo Fornals and Sergi Altimira. Betis go into this one as favourites, and Pellegrini’s side have looked the more settled outfit — but derbies have a funny way of throwing the formbook straight out the window.
Sevilla will be hoping Saturday is one of those days.