FC Barcelona travel to Sevilla FC in La Liga Matchday 11
Barcelona have a tough away fixture against a talented Sevilla side.
Form
The Catalans will be looking to respond after the defeat against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. Prior to that game, Barça were on a decent run with four wins in a row. However, they have been relatively consistent compared to their usual high standards with three losses so far this season. Away from home they have won four out of five games in La Liga, so Barça are a hard task for any team playing at home. On the other hand, Sevilla are looking strong this season, and a midweek 4-0 thumping of Dinamo Zagreb gives them a boost going in to this match. In the last ten matches in all competitions, they have only lost once, and have picked up twenty-three points which is very impressive. At home they are formidable as well with five wins out of five in the league.
Squads
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Barcelona are missing some key players for this match: Andrés Iniesta, Gerard Piqué, and Jordi Alba all miss out because of injury. The experience and quality these three have will sorely be missed in such a key game. Jérémy Mathieu and Aleix Vidal are also out injured, but they were unlikely to start. Sevilla also have injuries to contend with: Michael Krohn-Dehli and Nicolás Pareja are definitely out. Gabriel Mercado is out suspended as well. Samir Nasri is a possibility for this match, and with the form he has been in Sevilla will be hoping he recovers in time.
History
This is the fifth meeting between the two in this calendar year with Barça winning every single one so far. The aggregate for these matches is nine goals scored with only one goal conceded, so Barcelona have a good recent record against the Andalusians. However, in the league, they haven’t won at the Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán since 2014. In terms of the last ten games in all competitions, Barcelona lead with eight wins compared to Sevilla’s one. This shouldn’t be studied too closely though because they are a completely different team under Jorge Sampaoli, and they have made their home a fortress.
Playing Style
Sampaoli is famous for being a ‘disciple’ of Marcelo Bielsa who is an ingenious, maverick coach. Bielsa is well-known for playing three at the back, and using wing-backs as well as pressing high up the pitch. These ideas have been implemented by Sampaoli wherever he has gone with Sevilla being the latest team. This style of play is intense for the players due to the energy it requires, but it is fun to watch for the fans. Comparisons have been made with Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona because of the focus on a strong defensive base, with intense pressing off the ball, and patient possession play with it in order to find an opening.
It will be interesting to see which team is able to force themselves on the game, and assert control of it. The worry for Barça is the full backs who are both not playing great currently, and this could easily be exploited by the Andalusians. Also, Barça need to avoid collapsing when if they concede because that has become a regular occurrence in recent matches. If Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets can assert control over this game in the key areas than Barcelona could win this game, but I have a feeling it will be a score draw. If this is the case then it would be a point well-earned for the Catalans.
Prediction: Sevilla FC 2-2 FC Barcelona
Potential Lineup
Rafinha or André Gomes could play instead of Denis Suárez.