Got up early today ’cause I knew the Sevilla vs Mallorca lineup news would drop around lunchtime. Grabbed my laptop while chugging coffee, straight to Sevilla’s official website. Page took forever to load – like, c’mon guys, big match day!
The Hunt Begins
Refreshed like mad for 15 minutes until the “Probable Lineups” section finally popped up. Saw Lamela’s name upfront but thought, “Wait, didn’t he limp off last match?” Cross-checked with two other football sites just to be safe. One had Rafa Mir starting, other still showed Lamela. Typical confusing pre-match mess.
Phone Brigade
Texted my buddy who does security at Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán stadium: “Bro, seen the starters walk in?” While waiting, flipped through Twitter. Some blogger claimed Januzaj was benched but didn’t back it up. Almost tweeted “Proof??” but held back. My phone finally buzzed:
- Palace NOT in keeper gear (Bono starting)
- Jordan training separately (suspicion confirmed)
- Rakitić wearing captain armband
Lightbulb moment: Dug through training footage from Sevilla’s YouTube channel last night. Freeze-framed when Ocampos high-fived some staff – dude had starter’s intensity all over his face.
Final Verification
Cross-referenced all this with local newspaper Diario de Sevilla’s live blog. Their reporter outside stadium was yelling about Navas replacing Montiel last minute. Updated my graphic right when club’s social media blasted the official sheet – nailed 10/11 starters! Only missed Papu Gómez sub role.
Felt like Sherlock except with more coffee stains on my keyboard. Moral? Never trust one source – not even the club site. Gotta be more persistent than that mallorca bus parking defense tonight.