Gran Derbi guaranteed drama and excitement

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This article was published 25/02/2022 (1634 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It was just last month that this column examined the Derbi Sevillano — those meetings between city rivals Sevilla and Real Betis that is also, and appropriately, known as the Gran Derbi.

We unpacked the more than 100 years of enmity between the Andalusian pair, explaining how Betis, representing the working classes from the hardscrabble environs of Heliopolis, was established to directly oppose Sevilla, denizens of posh Nervion and the legacy of British miners and the regional elite.

That was ahead of a Copa del Rey showdown at Estadio Benito Villamarin that devolved into chaos when Sevilla midfielder Joan Jordan was hit by a metal pole thrown from the stands. Abandoned in the ensuing hostility, the match resumed the following day behind closed doors and was settled by a Sergio Canales winner for hosts Betis.

Needless to say, Sevilla have been anxiously awaiting a rematch with their arch-rivals. They’ll get it on Sunday (9:15 a.m., TSN.ca).

“We are not going to lie to ourselves,” Rojiblancos midfielder Ivan Rakitic conceded to Marca earlier this week. “The people are looking forward to it, and in the locker room there is a lot of desire.”

Desire is one thing. Personnel is another.

Key defender Jules Kounde is suspended for the derby, and fellow centre-back Diego Carlos is injured. With both starters unavailable, Sevilla manager Julen Lopetegui will have to improvise with midfielders Nemanja Gudelj and Thomas Delaney likely dropping deep in front of goalkeeper Bono.

Winger Lucas Ocampos also misses out on a red card, and then there the absences of left-back Karim Rekik and forwards Suso, Erik Lamela and Anthony Martial, all out with muscle problems.

“So much injury is not normal,” exasperated club president Jose Castro complained to Marca on Wednesday, adding that COVID-19 has provided an added stressor this season. He also criticized La Liga’s refereeing and VAR technology for the Kounde bookings before going on a rant about the derby, insisting that neither side should “encourage any crazy people.”

“We have to lower the tension,” he said, ignoring his own advice.

Given their five-point lead on Betis in the standings, Sevilla can afford to lose at Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan and still remain second in La Liga. But they continue to harbour ambitions of catching leaders Real Madrid and winning a first title since 1946, even if they seem to be sputtering at the moment.

With only 13 goals from their last 11 matches — none of which they lost — they’ve had to rely heavily on Kounde and Diego Carlos, which they won’t be able to do on Sunday.

Real Betis, meanwhile, would seem to be going into the Gran Derbi with the wind at their backs.

Europe’s fifth-highest scoring team, it booked passage to the Europa League’s Round of 16 after securing an aggregate win over Zenit Saint Petersburg during the week. On Thursday they’ll look to defend a 2-1 lead over Rayo Vallecano in the Copa del Rey and set up an unlikely final with one of Valencia and Athletic Bilbao. And they could pull within two points of Sevilla with a victory on Sunday.

That’s three games in three competitions in barely a week, and manager Manuel Pellegrini has so far refused to prioritize one over the others. At least publicly.

“The only way to face three competitions is to think that the game that’s coming next is the most important,” he told Diario de Sevilla on Thursday. “That’s positive pressure, the pressure of a big team.”

Betis haven’t felt like a big team in quite some time.

They last cracked La Liga’s top four back in 2005 and have achieved the feat on only three occasions in 27 years. But Pellegrini has them humming, especially up top, where Juanmi and Borja Iglesias have combined for 29 goals this season, supported by two of the Spanish top flight’s assist leaders in Canales and Nabil Fekir.

All four are available to face Sevilla, so based on playing staff it would seem that Betis have the advantage.

The Verdiblancos, however, will be up against a vicious opponent out for revenge in the form of the Sevilla fans.

Somewhat echoing Castro in a call for “sanity” ahead of kickoff, Betis icon Joaquin attempted to reduce the temperature in pre-match remarks to Movistar Plus.

“Regardless of whether they lack important players,” he said, referencing Sevilla’s injury troubles, “A derby is always special and is going to be played with a lot of grit, with a lot of intensity and both teams wanting to win.”

He added that he hoped “that in the end, sportsmanship reigns,” and that Sunday would be “a day for all of Seville.”

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If only.

The Gran Derbi is a raging affair at the best of times, and this one happens to come five weeks after the crowd trouble at the Villamarin. Additionally, it’s rare indeed for both clubs to hold such lofty positions in the standings simultaneously, with each still in the hunt for trophies no less.

As local derbies go, very few consistently deliver. But this one does. And it will again on Sunday.

jerradpeters@gmail.com

Twitter @JerradPeters