Escudé: Sevilla Must Channel Their Inner Bodø/Glimt to Shock Betis in the Derby

Former Sevilla defender Julien Escudé has been giving his honest take ahead of Sunday’s derby at La Cartuja — and he reckons the key to pulling off a result is looking to Norwegian football for inspiration.

Betis the favourites, but derbies are different

Escudé, who spent over six years at Nervión and was a key figure during the club’s most successful era, was refreshingly straight about where both clubs stand right now. He acknowledged that Betis are in better form and doing impressive work under Manuel Pellegrini, but was quick to point out that a derby is its own beast entirely.

In his view, the pre-match dynamics matter more than any trophy cabinet comparison — and while Sevilla’s honours list dwarfs Betis’s, that counts for nothing come Sunday. Derbies are finals, he said, and finals are decided by details, desire, and what happens across 90 minutes.

The Bodø/Glimt blueprint

This is where it gets interesting. Escudé’s tactical advice for Sevilla is essentially: be compact, be disciplined, and move as one unit — pointing to the Norwegian side’s remarkable display against Inter Milan as the model to follow.

• Stay tight and organised defensively
• Keep the shape between the lines consistent
• Go up together, come back together, run together
• Be clinical and efficient in both penalty areas

It’s not the most glamorous game plan, but given Sevilla’s inconsistency this season, it’s probably the right call. The emotional side matters too — when things go wrong (and he expects they will at some point), the players need to keep their heads and weather the storm as a group.

The win at Getafe matters more than you’d think

Escudé was keen to stress the importance of Sevilla’s recent victory at Getafe going into this one. It’s not just three points — it’s a mental reset. He pointed to Sevilla’s habit of letting their passion get the better of them, picking up red cards and making rash decisions when the pressure’s on. Channelling that energy properly, rather than letting it boil over, is going to be crucial at La Cartuja.

Closed doors training: the right call

The club’s decision to hold a closed training session ahead of the derby got a thumbs up from Escudé. He thinks Sevilla need a calm, focused environment right now — a bit of time together away from the noise, to get their heads right before the madness of derby day.

Big respect for Pellegrini’s Betis

Escudé was generous in his praise for the green side of the city. He was particularly impressed by:

• Pellegrini’s consistency — building something year on year
• The wide forwards — vertical, quick, and capable of unlocking defences
• Llorente — singled out for special mention
• Fornals — praised for his growth, his technical quality, and his vision in midfield
• Defensive solidity — something Betis have quietly built up over time

A personal note on Antony’s pubalgia

Escudé also touched on Antony’s ongoing issues with pubalgia — something he knows all about from his own playing days. He lived with the injury for a year himself before eventually going under the knife, and his message was essentially: the body can only take so much, and at some point a call has to be made. His own comeback from surgery? His first game back was against Betis. No pressure, like.