PREVIEW: Who are the kings of Seville?

The most awaited day for Sevillian football fans is just around the corner. Two of the biggest teams in Andalusia will meet on Sunday at the Benito Villamarin Stadium for the La Liga matchday 33 fixture.
This fierce match is marked by the fact that an entire city is pitted against each other in a battle for victory. Both Sevilla and Betis fans do their utmost to cheer on their team and lead them to be crowned kings of Seville.
This clash is called 'El Gran Derbi' (The Great Derby) and no matter what time and situation the two teams are in, the outcome of the showdown will always be uncertain. The two Andalusian teams fight to the death to be the pride of their city.
Quique Sanchez Flores' men are having a season to forget after being knocked out of the Champions League at the group stage and having been left with no chance of proving their worth in Europe. Their results were so poor at the start of this campaign that they changed coaches three times before December.
The seven-time Europa League winners were even contenders to be relegated for next season. However, their fortunes have been changing since the arrival of Flores to the bench and the addition of some reinforcements in the January transfer window.
Sevilla have managed to consolidate a 12th place (37 points) in the La Liga table after having been very close to the relegation zone. They have won three of their last five games in the Spanish top-flight, drawing one and losing the other.
Meanwhile, the situation for Manuel Pellegrini's men has been very different as they have been close to the European places at this stage of the season. Betis have had a good campaign despite recent results that have not been in their favour.
The home side are in seventh place on 48 points, temporarily qualified for the Conference League play-offs but have lost three of their last five matches in La Liga, winning the remaining two.
Betis have won 17, drawn 13 and lost 13 games in all competitions in the 2023/24 term while the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium outfit have won 13, drawn 14 and lost 18 encounters so far.
The visitors have won 65 official matches against Real Betis since they started playing each other, drawn 35 and lost 40. The biggest winners of the 'Gran Derbi' are clear but the results of this showdown are never obvious. The two sides last met in the La Liga matchday 13 fixture at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium on 12th November 2023.
Ayoze, who was signed by the Andalusian side from Leicester in January, scored in the 72nd minute to give Betis the lead but Ivan Rakitic, who currently plays for Saudi club Al-Shabab, netted a superb rocket to end the game in a 1-1 draw.
The Andalusian derby is more open than ever this time and Seville will be on fire to see who will become the kings of the city.
The former Real Madrid player has made an impact in the Real Betis midfield following his arrival from rivals Sevilla. The 32-year-old signed for Pellegrini's side in the last transfer window and his arrival has been positively remarkable.
His presence on the pitch gives more spice to the match - if that's possible - as Isco had an unpleasant spell before joining Betis, being unable to perform at his best at Sevilla due to some disagreements with the club's board.
The Spaniard has scored seven goals and provided six assists in 33 competitive matches for his current club. His contract is set to expire at the end of this season but he is sure to be offered a renewal.

The 23-year-old, who started playing for Sevilla's academy as he had been doing for five seasons, was signed as a first-team player in January after netting 11 goals and providing three assists for Sevilla Atletico.
His good performances and the first team crisis gave the striker a chance to shine at a higher level. He has been key to Sevilla's survival this campaign, scoring six goals and assisting four times in 16 competitive matches
Romero has become one of the stars of the team at the age of 23 and his future is promising. So much so that several European clubs are keeping an eye on him for the next transfer window. As a result, his future could be far away from his hometown next term.

Both teams will be unable to field three players for Sunday's meeting. Nemanja Gudelj, who had to be replaced in Sevilla's last match against Mallorca, is suffering from a knee injury that will cause him to miss several weeks.
Djibril Sow, who was signed in January from Eintracht Frankfurt, and Adria Pedrosa will also be unavailable for the Andalusian derby due to foot and muscle injuries, respectively. Elsewhere, Hector Bellerin, Chimy Avila and Marc Bartra will not be able to help Real Betis get the three points against Sevilla either.
Real Betis possible lineup: Silva (GK); Sabaly, Pezzella, Riad, Miranda; Rodriguez, Cardoso; Fornals, Isco, Perez; Bakambu
Sevilla possible lineup: Nyland (GK); Navas, Bade, Ramos, Salas, Ocampos; Soumare, Suso, Torres; Romero and En-Nesyri.
Referee: Jose Maria Sanchez Martinez
VAR: Miguel Angel Ortiz Arias
Game: Real Betis v Sevilla FC
Location: Benito Villamarin Stadium, Seville, Spain
Time: 28th April 2024, 21.00 CEST