We assess the Spanish side's best players prior to their Champions League clash with Leicester...
Sergio Rico
Rico is a victim of the competition he is up against.
The Spaniard would be set for many more international caps, and increased recognition, were it not for compatriot David De Gea, who is just three years older than him.
The 23-year-old has kept eight clean sheets in the league this season and, notably for Wednesday’s game, conceded just once in the Champions League.
Like De Gea, Rico is tall but, with a slender build, prefers to stay on his line and make saves rather than dominate his area.
Liverpool and Everton have been among the reported suitors in the past, though there is little reason for Rico to chase a move to Merseyside.
Whether Leicester can truly test him remains to be seen.
Steven N’Zonzi
One suspects that spells at Blackburn and Stoke will not be the last we see of N’Zonzi in the Premier League.
Stints with middling sides do not reflect N’Zonzi’s rapid improvement over the last year-and-a-half, a period in which he has become one of the most sought-after holding midfielders in the world.
Nicknamed by his manager, Jorge Sampoli, as “an octopus” because of his leggy style, the 28-year-old has made more tackles per game than any of his fellow midfielders and boasts the third-best pass completion rate in the Sevilla squad.
His form prompted serious Manchester City interest in January, an avenue they are likely to re-explore this summer.
No wonder Sam Allardyce tried to persuade him to play for England.
Franco Vazquez
For a forward-thinking midfielder, Vazquez’s two goals and three assists may not appear to be the most extraordinary record.
But that no member of Sevilla’s star-studded squad has appeared more often this season is indicative of his crucial influence on this side.
The 27-year-old compares himself to Juan Roman Riquelme, but this season has added aggression and intensity to his technically-based game.
Having turned down interest from Leicester to move to Spain in the summer, the English champions presumably know plenty about Vazquez.
That may not make the task of stopping him any easier.
Samir Nasri
That Nasri has reportedly told Sevilla he would be willing to half his wages to join them permanently in the summer tells the story of a revived career.
The Frenchman, described by Sampaoli as his side’s “oxygen”, has rediscovered his best form in La Liga this season after Pep Guardiola was put off by his weight issues.
He has scored three goals, registered two assists, and has been Sevilla’s fourth-best player, according to WhoScored.
Indeed, Spanish football journalist Sid Lowe commented recently that only Lionel Messi has bettered Nasri and N’Zonzi domestically this term.
Playing with freedom, in an environment in which embarrassing social media faux pas matter less, Leicester have the Nasri of old to deal with.
Vitolo
Vitolo, who said he was “close” to signing for Atletico Madrid in the summer, has enjoyed quite a season.
The winger’s four goals and four assists at club level have impressed to the extent that he is now considered a “regular” for Spain, according to boss Julen Lopetegui.
The 29-year-old’s best attributes are distinctly un-Spanish, a point that he himself recognises.
“Spain’s style has always been the same: control possession, control the opposition by having the ball,” he told the Guardian in November.
“But you sometimes need to change. You need various options when the opposition makes it difficult.”
Vitolo, compared to many of his international team-mates, is direct and difficult to knock off the ball.
He could prove a nightmare for Leicester’s full-backs in this Champions League tie.
What do you make of our selections? Would you highlight any other Sevilla players? Let us know on Facebook or in the comments section below.
