Barcelona vs. Sevilla: Team News, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info
Barcelona take on a Sevilla side at Camp Nou that are yet to win away from home in La Liga but who've lost just once since the end of November, per WhoScored.com.
Fortunately for Unai Emery, his side's form at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan has kept the Andalusians at the top end of the table, but that's clearly a regrettable record that needs to be rectified. It's unlikely to happen in this fixture, however.
Emery has only been on the winning side as a manager against the Catalans on one occasion out of 21 attempts. That was the 2-1 defeat of Barca back in October, coincidentally the last time the Blaugrana lost in any competition.
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Luis Enrique has previously said that he doesn't care about records, and Tom Webber of Goal.com noted his words to reporters on the occasion of his 100th game in charge:
"When the season ends I'll tell you if we have done something good.
It's better to get to 100 [matches] than 50, but I do not care about the numbers. I am interested in collective goals that we have as a team, like winning the league.
"
Should Barca remain undefeated against their visitors on Sunday night, however, they will equal the all-time Spanish record of 34 straight games unbeaten, set by Real Madrid in 1989.
They would then travel to the capital and a date with Rayo Vallecano, whereupon a new mark could be set. For this team, it would be a fine reward for their excellence of the last few months.
Per Fussball Datenbank, although Sevilla came away with wins at Camp Nou in 2010 and 2006, both were in cup competitions.
It has been 14 years since they've managed to take all of the points in a league game, so the weight of history as well as Emery's poor record is against them.
They'll also be without the suspended Ever Banega, but perhaps more importantly, per betinf.com, midfield general Grzegorz Krychowiak could also be missing. Vitolo is also struggling for the away side.
Barca have no such concerns with long-term absentee Rafinha Alcantara, the only player not available to Enrique.
In his usual pre-match press conference, Enrique noted, per Barca's official site:
"We’ll keep competing until there’s a champion. It would be a serious error to think that we’ve got it all done. Right now we need to focus on Sevilla, who are a difficult opponent.
We have to remember that these are three vital points for winning the title. That’s the mentality we need in every game because I don’t think our lead is big enough to do the job quite yet. It’s that kind of thinking that has won us trophies.
"
With two days rest after the Champions League heroics in north London against Arsenal, the Catalans will be refreshed, raring to go and looking to widen the gap between themselves, Atletico Madrid and Real.
Date: Sunday, February 28
Time: 7:30 p.m. GMT/2:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain
TV Info: Sky Sports 2, Sky Sports 2 HD (UK only)/beIN espanyol (U.S. only)
Live Stream: Sky Go app (UK only) / beIN Sports Connect (U.S. only)
Form Lines
Predicted Formations
The visitors will start with an attacking 4-2-3-1 with much of the emphasis falling on Vitolo and Michael Krohn-Dehli's shoulders.
Both need to place constant pressure on Barca's full back's Dani Alves and Jordi Alba and provide adequate service to Kevin Gameiro.
The latter will look to make a nuisance of himself across the lines, taking one of Gerard Pique or Javier Mascherano with him to open up the lanes for one of his colleagues to roam into.
Vicente Iborra's late runs could well cause problems if he times them to perfection once Gameiro has worked the opening.
Arda Turan and Andres Iniesta will form part of a midfield trio in Barca's 4-3-3, both looking to quickly close down the defensive midfield duo of Steven N'Zonzi and Sebastian Cristoforo.
Sergio Busquets will be doing a similar job on Iborra as Barca look to squeeze the midfield as much as possible.
Neymar, Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi pick themselves at this stage, and it's the turn of Benoit Tremoulinas, Federico Fazio, Adil Rami and Coke to shut up shop this week.
Goalkeeper Sergio Rico needs a man-of-the-match display to keep them out, while opposite number Claudio Bravo could do with a clean sheet—something he hasn't managed in the last three appearances.
Player to Watch
Kevin Gameiro is one of those strikers who, while not predatory as such, generally seems to find himself in the right place at the right time in an attacking sense.
The former Paris Saint-Germain player is in fine fettle right now also, with five goals and two assists in his last seven games, per WhoScored.
It's very evident that he is a player in Unai Emery's own image. A player who is always giving of his best, and it's not for the want of trying if he's not on target.
Against Barca it's a given that he will hunt down their central defensive pairing from the first whistle.
He's only completed 10 games all season, and there's a legitimate argument that this is precisely because he squeezes every last ounce of effort from his workaholic performances.
Mascherano and Pique will need to be on their toes at all times as Gameiro goes looking for any half-chances, loose balls to latch onto, etc.
A decent finisher, as long as he is given decent service by his wide men, there is every chance of rich pickings here.
Key Battle
Despite a debut red card for the visitors, ex-Stoke City man N'Zonzi has quickly become a key figure in his defensive midfield role.
A player who is strong in the tackle and will go to war as needed, he is exactly the type of committed individual who makes Sevilla tick. No quarter asked or given.
That description also suits Barca's Turan.
The Turkish international has enjoyed a fine start to his Blaugrana career after patiently waiting for six months to make his first start.
Appearances have been sporadic at this stage, but there is nothing to suggest Turan will be anything other than hugely important to Enrique in the closing stages of another busy campaign.
He'll given Barca's right-hand side just a little more bite than Ivan Rakitic and won't allow N'Zonzi to dominate the physical exchanges.
With great technical ability that is often overlooked, Turan can boss this particular duel. if he's on the same wavelength as Messi in that area of the pitch, the Catalans will strike gold.
Odds
Barcelona win 1-4
Sevilla win 10-1
Draw 5-1
Pre-match odds courtesy of Odds Shark.
