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The games are coming thick and fast for Barcelona as they visit the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium to face Sevilla on Friday. Barcelona commenced its restarted La Liga season with victories over Leganes and Mallorca but will not have an easy outing against a formidable Sevilla side this weekend.
Lionel Messi and Ansu Fati played starring roles in Barcelona's hard-fought victory over Leganes earlier this week. Barcelona's superstars were not at their fluent best and struggled to break down a resolute Leganes outfit. The Catalans will have to put in a much better performance to get the better of Sevilla.
Barcelona is 5 points ahead of Real Madrid at the moment, with the Catalans' arch-rivals set to take on Valencia in a difficult fixture of their own tomorrow. Quique Setien will have to work under the assumption that Los Blancos will cut the deficit back to 2 points before Barcelona visits Sevilla later this week.
The Sevilla match marks the beginning of a difficult set of fixtures for Barcelona. The Catalan side is yet to face Celta Vigo, Athletic Bilbao, and Atletico Madrid and will need to start well against Sevilla to stamp its impression on the title race.
Barcelona v Sevilla Head-to-Head
As with most head-to-head comparisons involving Barcelona, the Catalans dominate this contest and have won 36 of the 54 matches played between the two sides. Sevilla has managed only 9 wins while 9 other matches have ended in a stalemate.
Barcelona thrashed Sevilla by a 4-0 margin in the reverse fixture last year with Luis Suarez, Arturo Vidal, Ousmane Dembele, and Lionel Messi getting on the scoresheet. The Blaugrana will encounter a different beast on Sunday, however, as Sevilla has improved since the defeat and is currently third in the La Liga table.
Lionel Messi will once again be the most important player on the pitch. The Argentine has been in exceptional form for Barcelona in the recent past and will look to score his 700th career goal against Sevilla.
Barcelona form guide: D-L-W-W-W
Sevilla form guide: D-W-D-W-D
Barcelona v Sevilla Team News
Barcelona
Barcelona rested several important players against Leganes and will depend on its well-rested contingent to take the Catalans across the line against Sevilla. The Blaugrana will welcome Jordi Alba back from suspension. Frenkie de Jong is ruled out of the fixture due to a muscle injury and has not been included in the squad.
Luis Suarez will probably get his first start since his return from injury. The Uruguayan striker was unable to influence the game against Leganes in the second half and will hope to put on a better show against Sevilla.
Gerard Pique suffered a knock against Leganes but will be fit for the Sevilla fixture. Quique Setien has confirmed that the Barcelona veteran will need stitches but will not miss Friday's fixture. Antoine Griezmann played the full 90 minutes against Leganes and is likely to be replaced by Martin Braithwaite in the starting line-up.
Injuries: Ousmane Dembele, Sergio Roberto, Frenkie de Jong
Doubtful: None
Suspensions: None
Sevilla
Sevilla is one of the few teams in La Liga that do not have to worry about injuries and suspensions at the moment. Julen Lopetegui has the full Sevilla squad at his disposal and will hope that the likes of Nabil Fekir and Luuk de Jong deliver against a strong Barcelona side.
With the likes of Fernando and Ever Banega in midfield, Sevilla is a world-class outfit and can cause Barcelona several problems. Real Madrid loanee Sergio Reguilon is also set to return to the starting eleven after being rested in Sevilla's disappointing draw against Levante.
Injuries: None
Doubtful: None
Suspensions: None
Barcelona v Sevilla Predicted XI
Barcelona Predicted XI (4-3-3): Marc-Andre ter Stegen; Nelson Semedo, Gerard Pique, Clement Lenglet, Jordi Alba; Sergio Busquets, Ivan Rakitic, Arturo Vidal; Martin Braithwaite, Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi
Sevilla Predicted XI (4-3-3): Tomas Vaclik; Jesus Navas, Jules Kounde, Diego Carlos, Sergio Reguilon; Fernando, Ever Banega, Joan Jordan; Nolito, Luuk de Jong, Lucas Ocampos
Barcelona v Sevilla Prediction
Barcelona will not find it easy to defeat Sevilla and might struggle against the Los Palanganas midfield. Sevilla's defence has been reliable this season and has conceded only 30 goals in comparison to Barcelona's 31 goals. Gerard Pique and Clement Lenglet will have to be wary of Sevilla's potent attack.
Sevilla will have problems of its own and will have to deal with an in-form Lionel Messi. Arturo Vidal and Martin Braithwaite will do the hard work in the final third and Luis Suarez will relish the prospect of scoring in his first full game in six months.
Sevilla is an excellent side and will force Barcelona into a corner on more than one occasion, but Lionel Messi's indomitable brilliance is likely to push the Catalans across the finish line yet again.
Prediction - Barcelona 2-1 Sevilla
Also Read: Barcelona 2-0 Leganes Player Ratings | La Liga 2019-20
