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It's now nine months and nine days since Real Madrid last tasted defeat in a competitive fixture. So here's a question for you to consider: Can they go the whole season unbeaten? If so, why? If not, why not - and where might they come unstuck?

Give us your reasons with your yes or no - tweet using the hashtag #bbceurofooty or, now I've figured out how to use our text console, text us on 81111.

As usual, all your thoughts on the game are welcome too.

Sevilla made seven changes for Thursday's Copa del Rey game, and still nearly beat Real Madrid, so there's no doubting that Jorge Sampaoli has strength in depth.

Sampaoli, whose side have won their last three La Liga matches, more or less reverts to the side who one 4-0 at Real Sociedad last weekend - at least in terms of personnel. But there's a tactical switch from a three-man defence to a back four.Vicente Iborra is retained in midfield from Thursday, Sergio Escudero moves into a flat back four, and defender Gabriel Mercado has to settle for a place on the bench.

Also among the substitutes is Stevan Jovetic, the former Manchester City striker signed on on loan from Inter Milan during the winter break. As a sub, Jovetic scored against Real on Thursday.

Sevilla: Rico; Mariano, Pareja, Rami, Escudero; N'Zonzi, Iborra; Vazquez, Nasri, Vitolo; Ben Yedder.

Substitutes: Soria, Lenglet, Mercado, Sarabia, Kranevitter, Vietto, Jovetic.

A more detailed look at tonight's team for you: Cristiano Ronaldo was rested against Sevilla on Thursday, while Karim Benzema was only used for the final quarter-of-an-hour, so both should be fresh. Gareth Bale, remember, is still recovering from ankle surgery, having been injured in the Champions League against Sporting Lisbon in November.

James Rodriguez has been struggling with injury, while Isco had to come off against Granada last weekend and does not appear to have recovered. It looks like an unfamilar three-man central defence for Real, which could be interesting.

Real Madrid: Navas; Carvajal, Varane, Ramos, Nacho, Marcelo; Modric, Casemiro, Kroos; Benzema, Ronaldo.

Substitutes: Casilla, Danilo, Vazquez, Kovacic, Mariano, Asensio, Morata.

I should point out, though, that Sevilla have also asked their fans to stop giving Ramos quite so much abuse. 

They put out quite a long statement which, and I'm paraphrasing wildly here, more or less boiled down to: "Oi! Come on you lot. Leave it aaaaaht."

There's been a bit of a fall-out from that Ramos incident. Sevilla made a complaint to the Spanish Football League about the defender's behaviour, prompting Real Madrid to release a statement defending their captain.

The Real statement said they offered "full and absolute support" to Ramos, and that his behaviour "is and has been exemplary throughout his career".

"He's probably the most emblematic player in Spanish football," manager Zinedine Zidane added at his press conference on Friday.

Image source, EPA

Image source, AFP

Tonight's top La Liga game has a bit of bite to it, not least because of the ongoing kerfuffle between Sergio Ramos and Sevilla's fans.

The Real Madrid captain, a former Sevilla player, always gets a heated reception when he returns to the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.

After chipping in a cheeky Panenka-style penalty on Thursday, Ramos gestured towards the home fans, pointed at the name on his shirt and cupped his ears. Then, after the game, he criticised a section of the Sevilla support "that has remembered my mother and insulted me from the first minute".

I'm not entirely sure what "remembered my mother" means in this context, but I suspect it didn't involve buying her a Midsomer Murders box set.

Image source, Rex Features

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Right, let's focus on tonight's big La Liga game - Sevilla v Real Madrid. Somewhere by a television (or whatever people watch television on these days), Barcelona manager Luis Enrique is no doubt working out the permutations.

His team will drop down to third if Sevilla win - but Enrique may feel that's worth it, because it would mean Barca staying just two points behind leaders Real.

Barca won 5-0 at the Nou Camp yesterday against Las Palmas, although the visitors looked every inch a team who had travelled around 1,400 miles to play the game. 

Roma's win, secured by Radja Nainggolan’s half-volley, moves them a point behind Juventus, who have two games in hand - the first of which gets under way shortly.

Wins too for those in the chasing pack; Napoli saw off bottom club Pescara 3-1, while Lazio came from a goal behind to beat Atalanta 2-1, with Ciro Immobile's penalty giving him the winning goal for the second weekend running. Inter Milan defeated Chievo 3-1 yesterday, while AC Milan visit Torino tomorrow night.

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There are four certainties in life: Death, taxes, PPI-related cold calls and Francesco Totti.

In the eternal city, Totti is Roma's eternal striker. Today, at the age of 40, he came on as a substitute as they won 1-0 at Udinese.

His first league appearance of 2017 means that he has now appeared in Serie A in 25 successive calendar years. What a man.

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Both Fiorentina and Juventus go into this one on the back of somewhat edgy Coppa Italia victories in midweek. La Viola needed Federico Bernardeschi's injury-time penalty to see off Chievo 1-0, while Juve made a bit of a meal of getting past Atalanta, eventually winning 3-2.

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It's a fascinating contest in prospect at the Stadio Artemio Franchi tonight. Fiorentina are unbeaten at home this season in Serie A - although they have paid for drawing too many times on their own patch.

Juventus have, perhaps a little too often this season, started matches like a runaway train before running out of steam and chugging into a siding. Max Allegri's team, though, remain the team to catch. 

These two sides met in Turin on the opening weekend of the season; Gonzalo Higuain scored a debut winner as Juve took a 2-1 victory.

Captain Gonzalo Rodriguez is available again after suspension for Fiorentina, whose regular centre-back partner Davide Astori also missed the midweek win over Chievo as he was rested.

Former West Brom man Borja Valero steps into midfield alongside Milan Badelj, rumoured to be wanted by Chelsea, and Matias Vecino. One-time Blackburn striker Nikola Kalinic provides the support in attack for the impressive Federico Bernardeschi.

Fiorentina: Tatarusanu; Rodriguez, Sanchez, Astori; Olivera, Badelj, Vecino, Valero, Chiesa; Kalinic, Bernardeschi.

Some team news for you from that game: Leonardo Bonucci is back in the starting line-up for Juventus after six weeks out with a thigh injury, having played 15 minutes against Atalanta in the Coppa Italia in midweek. Left-back Alex Sandro returns after a thigh problem of his own, while captain and goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has recovered from flu. Giorgio Chiellini plays despite having struggled with illness this week.

Defender Stephan Lichtsteiner is suspended, while Morocco centre-back Mehdi Benatia and Gabon midfielder Mario Lemina are away at the Africa Cup of Nations.

There's no place in the squad once again for Patrice Evra, who is being linked very strongly with a move to Crystal Palace.

Juventus: Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellin; Cuadrado, Khedira, Marchisio, Sturaro, Sandro; Dybala, Higuain.

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We're keeping an eye on two matches for you this evening. In Serie A, leaders Juventus have started 2017 with two wins - thumping Bologna 3-0 last Sunday - and are looking to continue their form away to Paulo Sousa's Fiorentina. 

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Of course, all runs come to an end eventually - just ask The New Saints. The Welsh Premier League champions recently set a world record of 27 consecutive wins, but that all came to an end yesterday - and in dramatic style.

Craig Harrison's side were all set for win number 28, until Jamie Price scored a 95th-minute equaliser for opponents Newtown in a 3-3 draw. The New Saints will still win the league by a mile, though.

Sevilla came as close as anyone to ending Real's long unbeaten sequence in the Copa del Rey on Thursday night.

Jorge Sampaoli's side led 3-1 at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium with seven minutes to go.

Then Sergio Ramos chipped in a penalty and - in the third minute of stoppage time - Karim Benzema drive into the box and fired an equaliser.

Scenes, absolute scenes.

After a bit of a scare, Real actually won the two-legged tie fairly comfortably, 6-3 on aggregate, but that almost wasn't the point.

Image source, AP

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Real Madrid's run has come close to ending more than once in the last few weeks.

Remember Sergio Ramos' stoppage-time equaliser in El Clasico at the start of last month? 

Or Deportivo being ahead with six minutes left at the Bernabeu before losing 3-2?

Or Kashima Antlers giving Real a scare in the Club World Cup final just before Christmas?

Some early team news for you: I'll look at it in more detail shortly. For Real, Cristiano Ronaldo returns after being rested for their Copa del Rey match in midweek. Karim Benzema returns to the stating line-up.

Sevilla: Rico; Mariano, Pareja, Rami; Escudero, N'Zonzi, Iborra; Vazquez, Nasri, Vitolo; Ben Yedder.

Real Madrid: Navas; Carvajal, Ramos, Varane, Nacho; Marcelo, Kroos, Modric, Casemiro; Ronaldo, Benzema.

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These, to our knowledge, are the longest unbeaten runs in European club football. We should point out that these figures apply to all competitions, before anyone asks why Arsenal's 49-match unbeaten Premier League run, set between May 2003 and October 2004, isn't in there. 

There have been times over the last nine months when it seemed as if Real Madrid would never lose again. There have been times when they were perilously close to defeat.

But here they are, 40 matches unbeaten in all competitions since Wolfsburg defeated them in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on 6 April. It's a new Spanish record. Will it be extended tonight? Get your popcorn, settle down with us and let's find out.

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