Barcelona – Sevilla

Barcelona will not defeat Sevilla

Barcelona face Sevilla on Sunday, February 05. The Catalans have had an outstanding first round in the Spanish championship. The team scored 50 points. This is the best result in Europe, along with Italy's Napoli. Real Madrid's lead before the Valencia game has even increased to eight points. There is enormous pressure on the main rival. Ousmane Dembele's injury was not a problem for Barcelona either. Without the Frenchman, the Catalans played one of their most dangerous games in the league against Betis. Barcelona defeated the Champions League challenger by a huge margin in a brilliant match. Xavi's side created a lot of chances. The defence also played at a high level, although not without conceding a goal. At the same time, Barcelona managed to shut down all the opposing stars, including Fekir and Henrique. Importantly, Xavi makes very intelligent use of the rotation. Fati and Torres will get more chances now. The team should be able to cope with a tough schedule. No new injuries have been added. With the exception of Dembele, everyone is ready to play. There are no disqualified players either. Sevilla have gradually started to climb out of the bottom of the table. Jorge Sampaoli's side have benefited from two games against the underdogs. Sevilla picked up six points at home against Elche and Cadiz. The club finally made the long-awaited breakthrough. True, the relegation zone is still two points away, but Sevilla no longer look like a relegation contender based on their play. Sampaoli has predictably put the emphasis on defence. The tactic was built on playing five defenders and counterattacking. There was a very important transfer to the attacking side. Ocampos joined the team. The player previously played for Sevilla for several years. He was the leader of the attacking line. With him all the success of the club in the Spanish championship, as well as in the European competitions. The main problem remains in defence. Telles and Marcao are still out injured. Of the new injuries, reserve goalkeeper Dmitrovic has been added. Sevilla are showing signs of progress, but it is too early for the club to equal Barcelona. The hosts should quietly pick up another point. In the first leg, Barcelona thrashed the Andalusians away by a margin. Now the visitors have a better chance of avoiding a major defeat, but there are unlikely to be opportunities for more. On the downside, Barcelona have a tough calendar. The team has long been playing two games a week almost without breaks. There are Eurocups and Manchester United ahead. Xavi will surely be conserving his players' energy. A relatively routine win for Barcelona is likely. The Catalans are currently on a four-match winning streak with just one goal advantage over their opponents.