Liga Preview: Sevilla-Real Madrid

Real Madrid won't be expecting an easy ride when they pay a visit to the Sanchez Pizjuan stadium on Sunday night.

Sevilla are regarded by many as the hard-men of Spanish football, and would like nothing better than to upset the high-rollers of Madrid.

They've got the tools to do so as well. Young prodigy Jose Antonio Reyes has won rave reviews, and if only he could add the art of scoring on a regular basis to his vast repertoire of skills, he'd be the complete player. With a strong defence and hardworking midfield behind him, as well as the prolific Dario Silva alongside him, Sevilla can harbour hopes of Uefa Cup qualification this season.

Real qualified for the second stage of the Champions League on Tuesday following a 0-0 draw away to Partizan Belgrade. They had the chances to win the game, but then again, so did the Yugoslavs.

The big negative to come out of that match was the injury to Roberto Carlos. He'll need around three weeks to recover, but with the internationals approaching, if Real could have picked a time for the marauding left-back to get injured, it would probably have been now.

The man of the moment is very much Iker Casillas. Outstanding in last week's flattering 3-0 defeat of Athletic Bilbao, he backed that up with another super display to keep Partizan out on Tuesday. A bright future that kid.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

Sevilla: Notario, Daniel Alves, Pablo Alfaro, Javi Navarro, David, Redondo, Casquero, Martí, Reyes, Antoñito, Darío Silva.

Real Madrid: Casillas, Pavón, Helguera, Raúl Bravo, Solari, Beckham, Cambiasso, Figo, Raúl, Zidane, Ronaldo.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Jose Antonio Reyes (Sevilla): got the lot. Pace, flair, dribbling ability. He can go as far as he wants in the game. Some believe he will end up playing for Real Madrid.

David Beckham (Real Madrid): the England captain emphasised once again this week just how much he is loving life in Madrid. Hasn't scored since September 21, so is due a goal.