FC Barcelona travel to Andalusia to take on Sevilla in a La Liga fixture at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium on Saturday.
Xavi Hernandez's men remain unbeaten this season and head into this match at the back of a 4-0 win over Real Valladolid. They currently sit third in the table with seven points from three matches.
New signing Robert Lewandowski has been in fine form and has scored four goals in his last two outings. The Catalan side have further bolstered their ranks with the signing of two full-backs in Hector Bellerin and Marcus Alonso on deadline day, but the duo have been kept out of the matchday squad due to fitness issues.
Meanwhile, Sevilla are still trying to find their rhythm in the new campaign as they have lost two out of their three matches and have just one point to show for their efforts. They were even beaten 2-1 by Almeria, a newly-promoted side, in their previous match which show that Julen Lopetegui has still got a lot of work to do.
There is little doubt that Sevilla will be tested to their hilt given the rich vein of form the Blaugranas boast of. To make matters worse, Los Nervionenses have not won against Barcelona since a 2-1 victory in October, 2015.
How To Watch
Match: Sevilla vs Barcelona
Date & Time: September 3 @ 3:00 PM (ET)
Venue: Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium
TV Channel: Premier Sports 1
Online Streaming: ESPN+, La Liga TV & TSN3 (Try for free)
Watch in Canada: TSN Sports Network
Team News
Sevilla: Sevilla will be without the services of Marcao and Jesus Manuel Corona as both players are currently on the nursing table. Karim Rekik will also be unavailable for the match after the defender picked up a knock against Almeria in the previous match.
New addition Adnan Januzaj has not been included by Lopetegui as the midfielder is not yet game-ready. However, Marcos Acuna will be available after he served his one-match suspension.
It will not be surprising if Lopetegui decides to shake up things in midfield and starts with experienced players in Ivan Rakitic, Delaney, and Isco along with Oliver Torres.
Barcelona: Xavi will have the luxury to choose his starting XI from a full squad after Andreas Christensen recovered in time for the match from his illness.
Jules Kounde will return to his familiar stomping ground for the first time after signing for Barcelona and it remains to be seen the reception that he gets from the fans.
In midfield, Pedri and Gavi should start along with veteran defensive midfielder Sergio Busquets. Whereas, Ousmane Dembele, Robert Lewandowski, and Rafinha should form the front three.
Head to Head
- The head-to-head records are heavily skewed in Barcelona’s favour, as they have won 36 of the 64 outings against Sevilla. Los Nervionenses have beaten the Catalans only 12 times, with 16 matches ending in stalemates.
- The first encounter in last season’s La Liga saw both teams playing out a 1-1 draw, with Papu Gomez and Ronald Araujo getting their names on the score-sheet. In the return leg, a late strike from Pedri helped Barcelona secure all three points.
Prediction: Normally, this fixture is a tough one to predict, but 2022/23 Sevilla look nothing like their normal selves.
Whether it's the loss of both Jules Kounde and Diego Carlos or something else entirely, Julen Lopetegui has a whole lot to figure out to get Sevilla firing once again.
Barcelona are already going strong, bouncing back from their opening day draw with two wins and eight goals, so they'll fancy their chances of piling on Sevilla's misery here.
Score Prediction: Sevilla 0 - 2 Barcelona