Sevilla FC vs Real Betis: A Long-Standing Rivalry in Spanish Football History

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Real Betis and Sevilla FC play in one of the most flamboyant derbies in Spanish football, which takes place in the Andalusian capital of Seville. The Seville derby rivalry has strained ties and even families inside the city for more than a century. Both teams are among LALIGA's most illustrious and were past winners of the LALIGA EA SPORTS championship.

When organised football was introduced to Seville in the last decade of the 1800s, it was heavily influenced by British culture. Sevilla's original club was established in 1890, while the current Sevilla FC was established in 1905. Two years later, Real Betis Balompié was born.

The two teams were founding members of LALIGA's second tier after numerous official and informal early encounters in competitions as varied as the Copa de Sevilla, Copa del Duque de Santo Mauro, Andalusian championship, and Southern Regional Championship. Real Betis won both encounters in the first season of 1928-1929, 3-0 on the road and 2-1 at home.

Real Betis was the first team promoted to the top division, and they won their first LALIGA EA SPORTS championship in 1934-1935. During that championship run, they triumphed 3-0 at their neighbours' Nervión stadium towards the end of the season. Sevilla FC regained their title in 1945-46, but they were unable to win the derby since Real Betis had returned to the second division by then.

Between the top two levels, the teams have faced off 118 times in LALIGA, but one thing that sticks out is how frequently players and supporters on both sides have celebrated wins on their neighbor's pitch. When the rivals' present Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán opened in 1958, Real Betis upset the inauguration celebration with a 4-2 triumph. The very next year, Sevilla FC exacted revenge with a 4-1 triumph in the away derby.

The derby with the most goals in LALIGA history was won by Real Betis 5-3 at the Sánchez-Pizjuán in January 2018. The next season, Sevilla FC prevailed in both encounters in the LALIGA EA SPORTS league, but Real Betis defeated them in the Copa del Rey to take home the championship. They drew both of their matches from last semester.

Another historic derby took place in the Europa League round of 16 in 2013-14. Sevilla FC rallied to pull even at 2-2 on aggregate at Estadio Benito Villamarín, and went on to win the first of three straight titles, eventually winning 4-3 on penalties.

Since defender Joaquín Jiménez Postigo earned an LALIGA EA SPORTS champions' medal with both teams, only nine players have worn both the verdiblanco and rojiblanco in ELGRAN DERBI. Durable defender Diego Rodríguez notably crossed the boundary in 1988, while Luis Aragonés, the coach of Spain that won the Euro 2008, played three seasons at Real Betis and sat in both dugouts during derbies.

Over the years, local players have also been a major component of this match. Look no farther than Sevilla FC's current captain, Jesús Navas. It will be his 26th ELGRAN DERBI game on Sunday, and he is just as driven as ever.