Young guns fixed on Seville derby

Poor relations 
On Saturday, life will come to a standstill in this Andalusian football hotbed - not at siesta time, but in the evening when Betis and Sevilla meet at the Ruiz de Lopera stadium. The ground is situated in the working-class Heliópolis district from which Betis draw their traditional support. But if the 'verdiblancos' (or green-and-whites) are from the wrong side of the tracks, this does not make them poor relations.

The numbers game 
Far from it. Derby day finds them fourth in the Spanish first division, three points behind the leaders Real Madrid CF. Juande Ramos's side have not lost in eleven games. The numbers are not all in their favour, though as Betis have not beaten Sevilla since a 3-0 win at the Sánchez Pizjuán in 1996/97. Last term, when both clubs were in the second division, the uptown boys won this fixture 3-1. Still, they will be favourites against 'el equipo nervionense', with Sevilla in 12th position, only five points off the relegation places.

Points at stake
It is league points then, rather than local bragging rights, that are at stake. "It is impossible to ignore the mood in the city during a derby weekend, but we are professionals," Ramos said. "If we lose, not much will change for us in the rankings. While the derby is special for the fans, we are looking at our position in the table."

Credit to Betis 
Meanwhile, neutral eyes will be on some of the best young players in Spain. Both clubs have given youth its head this season - to the point where the pre-match banter has been along the lines of 'our youth system is better than your youth system'. Yet as Sevilla defender Pablo Alfaro conceded, it is the bright young things of Betis who are having a "superb" season. "We must admit it even though we are 'sevillistas' and do not like our rivals," he said. "Betis are not far from the top of the league, and they are ranked much higher than expected. This proves how well they are doing at the moment."

Brat pack 
The Spanish word for academy is 'cantera', literally 'mine', and Betis have exploited the richer seam in the form of defenders Juan Gutiérrez and David Rivas, midfielders Jesús Capitán and Joaquín Sánchez, and forwards Fernando Varela and Dani Martín. The latter has scored five goals in seven games, a fact not lost on Alfaro. "He is the big surprise," he said. "Nobody really knew about him, and he suddenly came in and scored five goals. He is very dangerous because he is so fast." But the leader of this particular brat pack is Joaquín, the former Madrid fan who became a full Spanish international in February's friendly against Portugal. The loss through suspension of Brazilian winger Denilson should not be so sorely felt.

The new Michael Owen 
Hope springs eternal too for Sevilla's veteran coach Joaquín Caparrós. Striker José Antonio Reyes is the pick of a homegrown crop that includes midfield players Francisco Gallardo, Francisco Lama and Víctor Salas. The 18-year-old has been considered Spain's answer to Michael Owen since his league debut two years ago. Team-mate Gallardo, a Spanish Under-21 international, is already one of the league's best exponents of the winger's art.

Take it easy 
So maybe these two old rivals, both former national champions, have more in common than they would like to admit. Having put their trust in youth, they have been able to establish themselves back in the top flight and "are now on the same level" according to Ramos. However, this is unlikely to soothe the pain of defeat on Saturday night. "The team that loses this match will suffer a lot in the coming days and weeks, but we should take it easy because it is just a game," he warned.