Barcelona and Sevilla will kick off Matchday 8 of the La Liga season when they lock horns at the Camp Nou on Friday night.
Xavi’s men were held to a 2-2 draw by Mallorca on Tuesday, dropping points for only the second time this term, while Sevilla thrashed Almeria 5-1 last time out.
🎙️Xavi: “The game with Sevilla will be very difficult, tough, physical. But we're at home. We need the fans and the atmosphere at Montjuic to get back on the winning track.” pic.twitter.com/L21ufDgdGt— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) September 28, 2023
🎙️Xavi: “The game with Sevilla will be very difficult, tough, physical. But we're at home. We need the fans and the atmosphere at Montjuic to get back on the winning track.” pic.twitter.com/L21ufDgdGt
Can Barca continue to lead the pace in the title race? Or will Sevilla continue their revival following a shaky start to the campaign?
Barcelona are yet to taste defeat in La Liga this season, having recorded five wins and two draws. As a result, they have taken 17 points from a possible 21.
Following a goalless draw with Getafe on the opening weekend, Xavi’s side chalked up five consecutive La Liga victories, scoring 16 goals along the way.
Although Barca kicked off their Champions League campaign with a 5-0 thrashing of Royal Antwerp, they were frustrated by Mallorca last time out.
Having finished 10 points clear at the summit of the standings last season, the reigning champions will be confident of defending their crown.
As for Sevilla, they put five past Almeria on Tuesday, with five different players finding the back of the net at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium.
Sevilla made a dismal start to the season, suffering three consecutive defeats to Valencia, Deportivo Alaves and Girona while conceding eight goals.
Since then, however, the Andalusia outfit have taken seven points from a possible nine, defeating Las Palmas and Almeria while drawing with Osasuna.
It is also worth noting that Sevilla played out a 1-1 draw with Lens in their Champions League opener, meaning they head into Friday’s clash on a four-game unbeaten streak.
Head-to-head: Sevilla have managed to win just one of their last 12 meetings with Barcelona across all competitions, suffering eight defeats in the process.
Let’s not forget that Barca completed a comprehensive league double over Sevilla last season, securing a couple of 3-0 victories.
Team news: Barcelona look set to be without key midfielders Pedri (muscle) and Frenkie de Jong (ankle) for the foreseeable future as they continue to recover from injury.
On the flip side, Mariano Diaz (muscle) and Alfonso Pastor (knee) are sidelined for Sevilla, while Marcao, Tanguy Nianzou and Oliver Torres are doubts for Friday’s clash.
While Barcelona remain unbeaten this season, Sevilla are still growing into the campaign and could find themselves falling short at Camp Nou.
Forebet predicts that Barcelona will score over 2.5 goals and keep a clean sheet on their way to dispatching Sevilla.