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Having only suffered two defeats in their last thirteen outings across all competitions, Barcelona are currently enjoying a rich vein of form. The Blaugrana were last beaten in the league almost a month ago, losing 2-1 at the home of Catalan rivals Girona.
Hansi Flick’s men have been virtually unstoppable on the domestic front, although were recently eliminated at the semi-final stage of the Copa del Rey despite a spirited second-leg fightback against Atlético Madrid. Despite playing a handful of games at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys while renovations to the Camp Nou were completed, they have the best home record in La Liga by some distance, winning all 13 of their matches and conceding just six times along the way. No side in the division has registered anywhere near as many goals this term, with Barça finding the net on a staggering 71 occasions already. To put that figure into perspective, second-top scorers Real Madrid have only netted 54 goals.
Sevilla head to Catalonia in reasonable spirits, after avoiding defeat in each of their last four league matches following an underwhelming start to the campaign. As most of these clashes were against teams immediately around them, the Andalusians have managed to stay clear of the relegation battle. However, with a nine-point gap to the European places, a mid-table finish seems the most likely outcome.
The seven-time Europa League winners have arguably performed better at opposing venues than on home soil this season, taking 15 of their 31 points from away contests despite playing an extra match at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan. Although they haven’t had any issues in front of goal, keeping the ball out of their own net has proved a far more difficult task. Only the three sides currently marooned in the drop zone (Levante, Real Mallorca, and Real Oviedo) and 15th-placed Girona have conceded on a greater number of occasions.
Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch Sunday afternoon’s clash at the Camp Nou on Premier Sports, with kick-off scheduled for 15:15 (GMT).
Barcelona v Sevilla – Key information
Date: Sunday, March 15th
Kick-off time: 15:15 (GMT)
Venue: Camp Nou, Barcelona
TV Channels/Live stream: Premier Sports 2
Odds: Barcelona: 1/4, Draw: 5/1, Sevilla: 11/1
Odds provided by bet365
Barcelona team news
Hansi Flick is currently experiencing somewhat of a crisis at the back, as several key defenders remain sidelined through injury.
Andreas Christensen sustained a partial ACL tear just before Christmas and will therefore be out for most of the remainder of the season, while Eric García missed this week’s Champions League meeting with Newcastle after experiencing discomfort in his hamstring. Therefore, Pau Cubarsí and Gerard Martín are likely to once again feature at the heart of Barcelona’s defence.
Full-backs Jules Koundé and Alejandro Balde are also suffering with hamstring complaints, leaving Barcelona particularly vulnerable down the flanks. Club captain Ronald Araújo provided cover as an auxiliary right-back on Tuesday night, but looked uncomfortable out of his natural position. The Uruguayan centre-back was replaced late on by La Masia graduate Xavi Espart, who could be in line to start against Sevilla following an impressive cameo performance on his first-team debut.
After being withdrawn midway through Barcelona’s narrow triumph in Bilbao due to illness, Marc Bernal hobbled off at St. James’ Park. It was later revealed that he had just developed cramp in the midst of an immensely energetic performance from the hosts, but the Catalan midfielder may be rested this weekend. Flick has plenty of options in the middle of the park, despite Frenkie de Jong recently being ruled out for an extended period. Either Marc Casadó or Dani Olmo – who came off the bench to earn his side a very late penalty against Newcastle – will assume one of the two pivot positions alongside Pedri, although Gavi is now almost fully fit after a lengthy battle with a serious knee injury.
Robert Lewandowski continues to wear a protective mask as a consequence of his brutal collision with Villarreal’s Pau Navarro at the end of last month, which left the Polish striker nursing a fractured eye socket. Having celebrated becoming the youngest ever player to reach 30 Champions League appearances by converting a stoppage-time spot-kick past Magpies ‘keeper Aaron Ramsdale, Lamine Yamal will be confident of netting his 21st goal of the season on Sunday afternoon.
Barcelona predicted lineup v Sevilla (4-2-3-1)
Joan García (GK); Xavi Espart, Pau Cubarsí, Gerard Martín, João Cancelo, Marc Casadó, Pedri; Lamine Yamal, Fermín López, Raphinha; Robert Lewandowski
Sevilla team news
Gabriel Suazo missed last weekend’s draw with Rayo Vallecano after picking up his fifth yellow card of the campaign in a pulsating Seville derby, but is now once again available. Fellow full-back César Azpilicueta passed a medical assessment earlier this week after hobbling off on Sunday evening, so the former Chelsea star could make just his fifteenth start of the season at the Camp Nou.
However, Matías Almeyda will still be without the services of long-term absentee Marcão. The Brazilian defender received a six-match suspension for his explosive outburst during December’s 2-0 loss to Real Madrid, before subsequently fracturing his foot. Gerard Fernández is also out after suffering ankle ligament damage, with the 23-year-old forward likely to be sidelined for at least a month. Nevertheless, Neal Maupay – who joined Sevilla on a temporary deal from Marseille during the winter window – appears to have recovered from a mild hamstring strain.
Alexis Sánchez is expected to lead the line alongside top scorer Akor Adams, who has netted seven goals in his 22 league appearances this season.
Sevilla predicted lineup v Barcelona (3-5-2)
Odysseas Vlachodimos (GK); Tanguy Nianzou, Nemanja Gudelj, Kike Salas; César Azpilicueta, Juanlu Sánchez, Lucien Agoumé, Djibril Sow, Gabriel Suazo; Akor Adams, Alexis Sánchez
Where to watch on TV or live stream?
The match will be shown exclusively live on Premier Sports 2, straight after coverage of Espanyol’s visit to Real Mallorca.
Alongside Disney+ and La Liga TV, Premier Sports is one of three platforms that broadcast Spanish top-flight action in the UK. Although Disney+ is only licensed to screen one La Liga fixture on a Saturday evening, there are multiple matches available throughout the season on the other two networks.
Head-to-head record
October’s meeting between these two teams produced a shock outcome, with Sevilla running out 4-1 winners in Andalusia.
Alexis Sánchez broke the deadlock from the penalty spot before Isaac Romero doubled the hosts’ lead, but Marcus Rashford cut the deficit in first-half injury time. A couple of late goals from José Ángel Carmona and Akor Adams put the icing on the cake, as Sevilla secured their first triumph over Barcelona for almost five years. Just a few days earlier, Barça had incurred their first defeat of the season – a narrow loss to Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys – after making a strong start on both the domestic and continental front.
Los Rojiblancos haven’t beaten Sunday’s opponents in Catalonia since way back in January 2010, when they recorded a 2-1 victory in the last sixteen of the Copa del Rey. After eliminating Pep Guardiola’s side via the away goals rule and later edging past Deportivo La Coruña and Getafe, Sevilla returned to the Camp Nou to face Atlético Madrid in the final. A famous 2-0 win then followed, as Sevilla were crowned Copa del Rey champions for the fifth time in their history.
Barcelona v Sevilla – Match Result odds
The odds, correct at the time of publication, are subject to change. All odds provided by bet365.