Barcelona vs Sevilla
Time: 9 PM CEST (Sunday), 12.30 AM IST (IST)
Venue: Camp Nou, Barcelona
Barcelona seem to have turned a corner just at the right time. After the Lionel Messi saga, Ronald Koeman’s Barcelona are all focused on matters happening on the pitch.
Media reports from Spain also send out positive speculation about the dressing room situation. Koeman’s arrival at the club has certainly shown its impact as the Blaugrana racked up two comfortable wins over tricky opponents without being solely dependent on Lionel Messi.
Julen Lopetegui’s Sevilla have also looked like a force to be reckoned with. Sevilla gave Bayern Munich a great fight in the UEFA Super Cup and started their La Liga campaign with two comfortable wins.
Both Sevilla and Barcelona have earned full points from their respective games, making the contest an evenly-matched one.
Barcelona vs Sevilla: Recent form
Barcelona: W-W-W-W-W
Sevilla: W-W-L-W-W
Barcelona won their opening pre-season games with 3-1, 3-1, and 1-0 margins over Gimnastic, Girona, and Elche before their La Liga campaign.
Keeping aside the Lionel Messi drama, Ronald Koeman’s Barcelona seem to be on top form with two wins on the trot already, including their latest triumph over Celta Vigo at the Balaidos, where the Blaugrana registered all three points in the league after five years.
On the other hand, Sevilla have been in good form in the last few months. They won the Europa League after defeating the likes of Manchester United and Inter Milan in the semi-finals and final respectively.
The UEFA Super Cup fixture with Bayern Munich also ended in a closely contested 2-1 loss. Julen Lopetegui’s men seem to be in good touch as they notched up closely fought wins over Levante and Cadiz in their opening La Lig games.
Barcelona vs Sevilla: Head-to-head record
Total Matches: 61
Barcelona wins: 36
Sevilla wins: 12
Draws: 13
Barcelona have faced Sevilla on 61 occasions and have won the bulk of the games. The last encounter between the two teams ended in a 0-0 stalemate at Seville. However, the fixture at the Camp Nou saw the hosts blow away the visitors 4-0.
Barcelona vs Sevilla: Team news
Barcelona
The hosts will miss the service of centre-back Clement Lenglet due to the two yellow cards he was shown in the 3-0 win at Celta Vigo. Ronald Araujo, who came up as the replacement for the Spanish defender, is expected to start with Gerard Pique at the centre of the defence.
Samuel Umtiti will sit out due to his acute knee injury. Junior Firpo, who has been linked with a move away, is also expected to be excluded from the squad.
New signing Sergino Dest has been included in the squad but is unlikely to replace Sergi Roberto just yet. He may get a few minutes at the end of the game depending on the situation.
Sevilla
En-Nesyri is expected to start after his heroics against Levante, thus replacing Luuk de Jong upfront. Marcos Acuna is also expected to get the nod ahead of Sergio Escudero.
Barcelona vs Sevilla: Predicted line-ups
Barcelona (4-2-3-1): Norberto Neto (GK), Sergi Roberto, Ronald Araujo, Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba, Frenkie de Jong, Sergio Busquets, Antonio Griezmann, Phillipe Coutinho, Ansu Fati, Lionel Messi
Sevilla (4-3-3): Yassine Bounou (GK), Jesus Navas, Jules Kounde, Diego Carlos, Marcos Acuna, Joan Jordan, Fernando Mouta, Ivan Rakitic, Lucas Ocampos, Youssef En-Nesyri, Munir El Haddadi
Barcelona vs Sevilla: Where to watch
The game will be broadcasted LIVE on Movistar La Liga in Spain and Andorra. Movistar+ will stream the game as well in the local region. Fans in India can stream the game for free on the Facebook pages of La Liga, Barcelona and Sevilla on Facebook Watch.
Barcelona vs Sevilla: Prediction
Sevilla will pose a huge challenge to Barcelona as Los Nervionenses will look to maintain their perfect start in La Liga. Julen Lopetegui has done some excellent work at Sevilla and will be a tough nemesis to Ronald Koeman’s Barcelona.
However, Barcelona seem to be in great form and are expected to make their mark with a comprehensive performance at the Camp Nou. KyroSports predicts a closely contested game with Barcelona earning all three points at home.
Barcelona vs Sevilla predicted scoreline: 2-1
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