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The Copa del Rey is back with another set of fixtures this week as Sevilla travel to Catalunya to lock horns with Barcelona in the second leg of the semi-finals at the Camp Nou on Wednesday. Barcelona have a mountain to climb in this fixture and will have to be at their best against a strong Sevilla side.
Sevilla find themselves in fourth place in the La Liga standings and their defeat over the weekend has hampered their case for the league title. The Andalusians will be intent on winning silverware this season and will view the Copa del Rey as their primary path to glory.
Barcelona have blown hot and cold this season but have been impressive in recent weeks and will want to turn this fixture around. The Catalan giants will want to avoid another trophyless season and need to take it up a notch against Sevilla this week.
Barcelona vs Sevilla Head-to-Head
Barcelona have a decent record against Sevilla and have won 37 matches out of a total of 58 games played between the two teams. Sevilla have managed only 10 victories against Barcelona and will need to step up this weekend.
The previous meeting between the two teams took place over the weekend and ended in a 2-0 victory for Barcelona. Lionel Messi scored the second goal on the day and his exceptional record in this fixture will hold the Catalans in good stead on Wednesday.
Barcelona form guide: W-W-D-L-W
Sevilla form guide: L-W-L-W-W
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Barcelona vs Sevilla Team News
Barcelona
Ronald Araujo suffered a relapse of his ankle injury against Sevilla over the weekend and remains a doubt ahead of this fixture. Pedri also suffered a muscle injury and has been ruled out in the Copa del Rey this week.
Philippe Coutinho, Ansu Fati, and Sergi Roberto are long-term injuries for Barcelona and will be unavailable for this match. Ronald Koeman opted for three central defenders last weekend and is likely to employ a similar formation in this match.
Injured: Philippe Coutinho, Ansu Fati, Sergi Roberto, Pedri
Doubtful: Ronald Araujo
Suspended: None
Sevilla
Marcos Acuna and Lucas Ocampos are currently injured and have been ruled out of this fixture. Sevilla madeimpactful substitutions against Barcelona over the weekend and the likes of Suso, Oliver Torres, and Youssef En-Nesyri are set to start this match.
Injured: Marcos Acuna, Lucas Ocampos
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Barcelona vs Sevilla Predicted XI
Barcelona Predicted XI (3-1-4-2): Marc-Andre ter Stegen; Gerard Pique, Samuel Umtiti, Oscar Mingueza; Sergio Busquets; Jordi Alba, Sergino Dest, Frenkie de Jong, Riqui Puig; Ousmane Dembele, Lionel Messi
Sevilla Predicted XI (4-3-3): Yassine Bounou; Jesus Navas, Jules Kounde, Diego Carlos, Aleix Vidal; Ivan Rakitic, Nemanja Gudelj, Joan Jordan; Oliver Torres, Suso, Youssef En-Nesyri
Barcelona vs Sevilla Prediction
Sevilla were taken by surprise by Barcelona's innovative formation in La Liga over the weekend and Julen Lopetegui will likely take steps to counter the Catalans' new ideas. The Spaniard's tactical acumen has been critical to Sevilla's fortunes this season and Barcelona will have to be wary of the Andalusians' ability to dominate the ball.
With Lionel Messi in full flow, however, Barcelona seem to be a resurgent force and will be intent on turning this fixture around. The Catalans need a minimum of three goals to win the contest and are likely to take a particularly aggressive approach to this match.
Prediction: Barcelona 3-0 Sevilla
