Almería look to extend winning streak when they take on Sevilla

Sunday’s first La Liga BBVA match will be at 18:00 between UD Almería and Sevilla FC. The Almerians, on the up since Juan Ignacio Martínez’s instalment, have moved out of the relegation places. But to continue up the table they’ll need to get a result against a club they haven’t beaten at home since a 1-0 win back in 2007. Sevilla, for their part, are pushing for European spots.

Lineups
Almería come into the match with a slew of absentees: Rubén Martínez and Quique González are out injured, Míchel Macedo and Ximo Navarro are suspended, and Thievy Bifouma and Jonathan Zongo are away on Africa Cup of Nations duty. The visitors are similarly low on numbers, with Sebastián Cristóforo and Benoît Trémoulinas injured, Grzegorz Krychowiak suspended, and Stéphane M'Bia at the Africa Cup of Nations.

View for the dugout
"We mustn’t lose our defensive solidity," said Juan Ignacio Martínez. "But we’ve also got to be sharp up top if we want to win." His opposite number on the Sevilla bench, Unai Emery, had only praise for his old rival: "This is a very decent Almería side. I have great memories of my time coaching there. It’s going to be a tough game, given what a boost their wins over Celta and Málaga will have given them."