Sevilla vs Barcelona Match Preview & Predictions

Sevilla vs Barcelona match preview and predictions for Saturday’s LaLiga match. Read on for the head-to-head, team news and predicted lineups as two top four teams clash in the Andalusian capital.

Sevilla vs Barcelona Preview

Sevilla and Barcelona meet for the third time this season, just a few days before they clash again in the 2nd Leg of their Copa del Rey Semi-Final. Sevilla got the better of the 1st Leg at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan a couple of weeks ago and they could really announce their arrival as genuine title contenders if they can repeat the trick here.

They’ve moved above Barcelona into 3rd place and would still have a game in hand were they to win this match. Having won 6 on the spin in LaLiga and with leaders Atleti faltering, this really does feel like a test of whether Sevilla should be taken seriously as possible challengers for top spot and with 2 of their next 3 games against struggling Elche, they have a real chance to catapult themselves into the race.

They put in a professional showing at El Sadar on Monday night, sealing a comfortable 2-0 win with a lovely goal from Luuk de Jong. Atleti’s poor form means this is now significantly more than a mere rehearsal for the Copa del Rey game next week but Julen Lopetegui will still have half an eye on that fixture when he picks his team here, although all of their key men should start with the exception of the injured Lucas Ocampos.

This is a huge week coming up for Barcelona and their coach Ronald Koeman, both on and off the pitch. With their Champions League hopes in tatters, these two games against Sevilla will go a long way to determining whether they have anything to play for in the final months of this season. The club’s long-awaited presidential elections also take place next weekend and the future direction of the club will be clearer after that.

On the pitch, Barcelona are unbeaten in 14 league games now, winning 11 of them. While at times they have received plenty of deserved criticism, that’s a strong run of results, although they will still be wondering quite how they let two points slip away at home to Cadiz last weekend.

Head to Head

• Last 6 Competitive Meetings: 2 Sevilla Win, 3 Barcelona Wins, 1 Draw.
• Sevilla won 2-0 when the sides met in the Copa earlier this month.
• Barcelona have only won on 1 of their last 4 visits to this ground overall.
• That was a 4-2 victory in LaLiga in February 2019.

Team News

Marcos Acuna and Lucas Ocampos are sidelined for Sevilla through injury.

Ronald Araujo is nearing fitness but this game may come too soon. Barcelona will bring the likes of Antoine Griezmann, Sergio Busquets and Sergino Dest back in after they were rested in midweek.

Predicted Sevilla Starting Lineup:

Bono – Escudero, Carlos, Kounde, Navas – Jordan, Fernando, Rakitic – Gomez, En-Nesyri, Suso (4-3-3)

Predicted Barcelona Starting Lineup:

Ter Stegen – Alba, Lenglet, Pique, Dest – De Jong, Busquets, Pedri – Griezmann, Messi, Dembele (4-3-3)

Sevilla vs Barcelona Predictions

LaLiga Expert Predicts: Sevilla 1-1 Barcelona

Barcelona considered themselves unfortunate to have lost the 1st Leg of the Copa del Rey Semi-Final on this ground and they’ll want to make amends here. Sevilla are the more solid all-round team but the Catalans have Leo Messi and an in-form Messi at that. The Argentine has 6 goals in his last 4 appearances and should help ensure Barca extend their unbeaten LaLiga streak here but it may not be the win they really need to strengthen their title aspirations.

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