Sevilla will be hoping to return to winning ways when they hit the road to square up against Barcelona at Spotify Camp Nou on Sunday evening. They will be hoping to cause an upset and stay clear of the drop zone.
The home team are top of the table with 67 points in their 27 outings. They have won 22 of those fixtures, drawn one and lost four. While they did lose the top spot following their defeat to Girona in mid-February, the Catalan giants are back in the driving seat with three straight wins and have a four-point lead over Real Madrid.
Barcelona have been in fine form in La Liga, but they are heading into this fixture on the back of a disappointing 1-1 draw against Newcastle United in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg. Hansi Flick would like to see his team get things back on track.
Meanwhile, the visitors are 14th on the table with 31 points in their 27 outings, with eight wins, seven draws, and 12 defeats. The season certainly has not gone the way the Andalusian outfit were hoping it would, as they are only six points clear of the drop zone and cannot relax with 11 games to go.
Sevilla are unbeaten in their last five league outings, but they have only won one of those fixtures. They are heading into this fixture on the back of a 1-1 draw against Rayo Vallecano. Los Nervionenses were far from their best, and they will have to step up if they want to take something away from the leaders. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Barcelona have received a massive boost ahead of the game against Sevilla, as Lamine Yamal and Eric Garcia are both back in training and will be available to take on Sevilla this weekend.
However, they do remain without the services of Andreas Christensen (knee), Jules Kounde (hamstring), Alejandro Balde (hamstring) and Frenkie de Jong (hamstring). Meanwhile, Gavi will be hoping to get some minutes after being back on the bench against Newcastle United.
The Catalan giants will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, where Joan Garcia will be in goal. Ronald Araujo and Gerard Martin are expected to be the full-backs, while Eric Garcia will pair up with Pau Cubarsi in the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Marc Casado will partner with Pedri in the double pivot in the centre of the park. The duo will look to control the tempo of the game. Fermin Lopez will feature in the number ten role for the home team.
Lamine Yamal and Raphinha will feature on the flanks, providing much-needed width to their attacks. Ferran Torres is expected to lead the line for Barcelona against Sevilla at Spotify Camp Nou on Sunday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Joan Garcia; Araujo, Cubarsi, Eric Garcia, Martin; Casado, Pedri; Yamal, Fermin, Raphinha; Ferran Torres
The visitors will be without the services of Peque Fernandez (ankle) and Marcao (knee), while Ruben Vargas (hamstring) and Neal Maupay (hamstring) will undergo a late fitness test to determine their availability.
Sevilla will line up in a 4-4-2 formation, where Odysseas Vlachodimos will take charge in goal. Cesar Azpilicueta and Kike Salas will be the full-backs, while Tanguy Nianzou will pair up with Nemanja Gudelj in the central defensive partnership.
Juanlu Sanchez and Jose Angel Carmona will feature in the wide areas in midfield, while Lucien Agoume will partner with Djibril Sow in a more central area. The duo will look to ensure Barcelona midfielders do not run the show. In the final third, Akor Adams will line up alongside Isaac Romero in the strike partnership.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Vlachodimos; Azpilicueta, Nianzou, Gudelj, Salas; Juanlu, Agoume, Sow, Carmona; Adams, Romero
The 22-year-old has been in fine form this season, and he has managed to establish himself as a very important part of Hansi Flick’s team. He has been involved in 36 games and has racked up close to 2,300 minutes. The Spanish international has bagged 11 goals, and he also has 14 assists to his name.
The Spaniard has four goal contributions in his last five league outings, and he will be eager to add to his tally in this home fixture. While the limelight will be on the stars, Lopez might once again have a big say on the end result of this fixture.
Barcelona will head into this fixture as clear favourites given their impressive run of form in the league. Playing at home and with the title race heating up, Hansi Flick’s men will be eager to assert their dominance early and put Sevilla under constant pressure.
However, Sevilla have shown resilience in recent weeks and will look to stay compact and frustrate the league leaders. If they manage to take their chances on the counter, they could cause a few problems.
Even so, Barcelona’s attacking quality and overall control of the game should help them secure another important win in the title race. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for Hansi Flick and his charges.
