The 2013/14 Europa League round of 16 draw made history. For the first time, Seville’s two top sides, Sevilla and Real Betis, would face each other in continental competition. They had both made it through the tournament’s group stages and first knockout round without much fuss, but their domestic circumstances were vastly divergent. While Sevilla were chasing a place in La Liga’s top six, Betis were fighting to avoid relegation to the second tier.
As a result, the stakes were particularly high for the first all-Sevillian European contest. Historically, however, there has always been a lot at stake when the two teams have clashed. The derby dates back to 1915, when the first game took place (Sevilla won 4-3), but the roots of the rivalry go back even further.
Sevilla Derby History
In his book on Spanish football, ‘Morbo’, Phil Ball writes that: “Four years after the founding of Sevilla FC in 1905…three of Sevilla’s newly elected directors refused to sanction the