Preview: Sevilla vs Birmingham City - prediction, team news, lineups

Both taking to the pitch for the first time in pre-season, Sevilla and Birmingham City lock horns in a friendly clash at Estadio Algarve in Portugal on Saturday night.

Los Rojiblancos are looking to put a woeful 2024-25 campaign behind them, whilst Blues are aiming to repeat their promotion-winning antics once again in the Championship.

Match preview

Winning the Europa League in two of the five editions of the competition so far this decade, Sevilla experienced a severe fall from grace during the 2024-25 La Liga campaign, in which the Spanish giants finished in a lowly 17th, just a single point above the relegation zone.

A wretched run of only the single victory across their last 11 top-flight matches nearly sentenced Los Rojiblancos to a second-tier adventure for the first time in over two decades, with a narrow success versus Las Palmas on May 13 ultimately saving the club from a bottom-three placement.

A shining light last season amid a relegation battle, Dodi Lukebakio enjoyed his best spell in front of goal since making the permanent switch from German outfit Hertha Berlin in 2023, with the Belgium international scoring 11 goals from 38 La Liga appearances.

After a decade-long coaching career - managing the likes of River Plate, San Jose Earthquakes and AEK Athens - Matias Almeyda is now the man tasked with lifting Sevilla back to the summit of Spain's top flight, with the 51-year-old taking charge of this first match on Saturday.

Sevilla kick-start their pre-season plans this weekend with the test of League One champions Birmingham, before more English opposition arrives in the form of Sunderland, who are preparing for their first Premier League campaign in eight years.

After racking up a record-breaking tally of 111 points in England's third tier during 2024-25, Birmingham City are back in the Championship and looking to upset the established order at the top of the division, targeting a swift promotion to the Premier League.

Despite lacking parachute payments from the top flight received by the likes of Ipswich Town and Southampton, Blues have still flexed their financial muscle so far during the summer transfer window, bringing in a number of eye-catching recruits.

Hometown hero Demarai Gray has been lured away from the riches of Saudi Arabia to help his club to the promised land, whilst Japan international Kyogo Furuhashi is back on the British Isles following six months at Ligue 1 outfit Rennes.

Due to the pace of which the Birmingham squad is evolving as the club moves full steam ahead to the Premier League, a number of players who were key during their last campaign in the second tier are now surplus to requirements, such as Tyler Roberts and Dion Sanderson.

Saturday night's clash with Sevilla will conclude a seven-day training camp in Portugal for Blues before they return to more familiar surroundings on Wednesday night, when they face Solihull Moors in the fourth edition of the annual Arthur Cup.

Team News

Signing a three-year deal with Sevilla at the start of this month, Alfon Gonzalez could make his debut for the club on Saturday night.

Los Rojiblancos have a former Aston Villa man in their star-studded ranks in the form of goalkeeper Orjan Nyland, who was unconvincing to say the least during his time in English football.

Birmingham have taken a squad packed to the brim with first-team talent to Portugal - a stark contrast to last year's group which was supplemented heavily by youngsters.

The aforementioned duo of Sanderson and Roberts are busy looking for new clubs, whilst Alfons Sampsted and Emil Hansson have reportedly been left at home.

Kyogo arrived in Portugal later than his teammates but should feature in some capacity at Estadio Algarve, whilst compatriot Kanya Fujimoto could also make his debut.

Sevilla possible starting lineup:

Nyland; Carmona, Salas, Bade, Marcao; Sow, Hormigo, Gudelj; Adams, Lukebakio, Mir

Birmingham possible starting lineup:

Allsop; Laird, Neumann, Klarer, Cochrane; Iwata, Paik, Stansfield, Fujimoto, Gray; Kyogo

We say: Sevilla 3-1 Birmingham City

There is plenty of excitement about what this Birmingham team could achieve in the Championship over the next 12 months, although a winning start to pre-season could prove tricky against top-tier Sevilla.

As a result, we are backing Los Rojiblancos to pick up the victory at Estadio Algarve, but we expect Blues to be highly competitive. 

Written by
Carter White

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