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The penultimate international break of this year is done and dusted and it's time to get back to European club football as many mouth-watering clashes are set to take place this weekend.
The top two teams from La Liga will lock horns this weekend as the unexpected league leaders Sevilla travel to the Camp Nou to play against second-placed FC Barcelona. The first two months in La Liga have been full of surprises as the Spanish heavyweights Real Madrid and Barcelona look off colour with Los Blancos currently going through a 4-game goal drought across all competitions and the Catalan club failing to register a victory in the last four league encounters.
Sevilla have already upset Real Madrid this season when they hammered them 3-0 at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium in September and will now look to give Barcelona a tough time in their own backyard to extend their run at the top spot of the league table.
We shall now take a look at 5 key players who will play a vital role in this all-important clash between Barcelona and Sevilla.
#5 Wissam Ben Yedder (Sevilla FC)
The 28-year-old striker has been a part of Sevilla for 2 years now and has scored 48 goals in 98 appearances for the Andalusian club. He made his international debut for France earlier this year but didn't feature in the World Cup triumph of France after being named on the standby list for the 23-man French squad.
He has started the 2018-19 season brilliantly as he has scored 9 goals in 14 appearances across all competitions and is currently the fourth highest goal-scorer in La liga with 5 goals in 6 appearances.
The striker has been in fine form this season and will play a pivotal role for Sevilla on Saturday when they go up against Barcelona and try to upset the Catalan side in order to keep their top spot intact.
#4 Arthur Melo (FC Barcelona)
The 22-year-old midfielder was signed by Barcelona for an initial fee of €31 million plus €9 million in added variables from Brazilian club side Grêmio.
Arthur attracted Barcelona's attention with his versatility in the midfield area as he usually plays in the central midfield position but can also play as a central defensive midfielder or as an attacking midfielder.
His versatile playing style has enabled Valverde to deploy him in the midfield according to the ongoing scenario of a game. He has made 7 appearances till now for the Catalan side and has impressed the spectators so much that they have already started drawing comparisons with the midfield maestro Xavi Hernandez.
He is expected to play an important role for Barcelona in the midfield not only on Saturday but throughout the season as he will look to bother the opposition with his possessional style of play.
#3 André Silva (Sevilla FC)
The 22-year-old Portuguese striker is currently on a season-long loan from AC Milan with the option to purchase for €35 million. He was also a part of the Portuguese squad at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
He has been in phenomenal form for the Andalusian side this season as he has scored 7 goals in as many league appearances and is currently the second top goal-scorer in La Liga behind Cristhian Stuani of Girona FC.
Silva has paired up well with his strike partner Wissam Ben Yedder this season as the duo currently has a combined goal tally of 16 goals across all competitions.
He will look to continue his good run of form on Saturday when he plays against Barcelona at the Camp Nou and ensure that his side come back with a positive result.
#2 Philippe Coutinho (FC Barcelona)
Coutinho was signed by FC Barcelona on 6 January 2018 from Liverpool for an initial transfer fee £105 million. Since he played for Liverpool for the first half of the 2017-18 season, he was ineligible to make a Champions League appearance for Barcelona last season. He won the domestic double with the Catalan club and found the net 10 times in 22 appearances last season.
The 26-year-old Brazilian has been a versatile player throughout his career as he can be used as an attacking midfielder, second striker and on the flanks. He is being deployed on the left flank this season by Ernesto Valverde and has scored 3 goals in 11 appearances across all competitions.
The attacking midfielder will be an important part of the Barcelona squad on Saturday when they face their Andalusian rivals to regain the top spot in the league table.
#1 Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona)
The wait is finally over as after two weeks the little magician will once again step onto the pitch to mesmerize us all with his sheer brilliance. He has taken some time off from national duties and was not involved in Argentina's international friendlies against Iraq and Brazil during the break.
The newly appointed skipper started the 2018-19 season in blistering form as he has scored 11 goals in as many appearances across all competitions. He came to Barcelona's rescue last time out against Valencia when he restored parity after the Catalan club went 1-0 down within two minutes of the game.
He has been Barcelona's go-to guy for several years now and will be playing a similar role on Saturday against Sevilla. The two-week rest will surely play in his favour and he will look to get his team back to winning ways.
