UEFA Super Cup 2015: Live Stream and Form Guide for Barcelona vs. Sevilla
European footballโs annual curtain raiser takes centre stage Tuesday, as Champions League winners Barcelona take on Europa League champions Sevilla for the UEFA Super Cup.
Although underdogs, Sevilla will be looking to lay the 2014 Super Cup ghost to rest, having been defeated 2-0 by Real Madrid the last time around.
Barcelona may have something to say about that, though, and with manager Luis Enriqueโs star-studded side seemingly entering a golden era, confidence will be sky-high.
Match Details
Date: Tuesday, August 11
Time: 2:45 p.m. ET (7:45 p.m. BST)
Venue: Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena, Tbilisi, Georgia
Live Stream: Fox Sports Go (U.S. only), BT Sport Live (UK only)
Barcelona Looking to Kick Off 2015/16 with a Bang
Barcelona were the best team in the world in the 2014/15 campaignโyou donโt have to be a genius to work that one out.
Everything just worked for Enrique and Co., with the three-pronged attacking line of Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi and Neymar proving to be one of the most dangerous strike forces that football has ever seen.
However, theyโre now the Goliath that every David wants to topple, and they need to remain focused if theyโre to take home the Super Cup from Georgia.
The pre-season hasnโt been encouraging for the Catalan giants, either, as they lost three of their five tune-up matches.
Their most recent friendly against Roma at the Camp Nou, though, featured vintage Barca.
Enriqueโs men totally outplayed the Italian side, with Neymar, Messi and the ever-impressive Ivan Rakitic getting on the scoresheet. Plus, Rakiticโs goal was just a little special, per Top Eleven:
The 3-0 victory was nothing more than the La Liga champions deserved, with the Croatian pulling the strings from midfieldโa sight that we may have to get used to.
Rakitic won the Europa League with Sevilla in 2013/14 but missed out on the Super Cup after switching to the Camp Nou. This year, however, heโs looking forward to mixing it up with his old team-mates in the curtain raiser but insisted that he and his new colleagues are focused on the job at hand, perย Graham Hunter of UEFA.com.
โThis Super Cup had to be against Sevilla," Rakitic said.ย "This is a very special story. But we are Barca, we are playing for a trophy and with all due respect to Sevilla we will play to win.โ
Sevilla will be looking to spoil their former employeeโs party, but they also havenโt enjoyed the most fruitful pre-season.
A defeat to Football League Championship side Brighton and Hove Albion gave manager Unai Emery something to think about, although there were plenty of encouraging signs.
New recruit Yevhen Konoplyanka was dangerous at the Amex Stadium, and Sevilla will likely look to the Ukrainian to unlock Barcelonaโs stubborn defence.
However, should Enrique get his tactics right and his three amigos up front continue their stunning form, Barca will be adding yet more silverware to their trophy cabinet.
Barcelona are petering on the edge of football immortality, and theyโll be determined not to fail their mission to win every conceivable title at the first hurdle.
