Barcelona play on Tuesday night for the final game of the year, and and will face Sevilla at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán. The Blaugrana bounced back from a poor away performance against Osasuna with a largely impressuve dispaly against Elche. Despite almost collapsing and sharing the spoils with their opponents, the Catalans pressed on and secured a deserved a 3-2 win.
The turn of events basically characterizes the phase under new boss Xavi Hernandez where Barca often show immense sign of promise but barely have enough to show for. Against a more formidable opponent in Sevilla, they will be requied to put in a more consistently good performance with limited room for error. Their subpar showing has left them in eighth with 27 points from 17 outings.
With the win over Elche ending a run of three games without a win, Barcelona would look to build on it to enjoy a more consistent streak. A win over Sevilla should be enough to put them level on point with fourth-placed Rayo Vallecano. Needless to say, the Andalusians will not make the test easy for the Camp Nou outfit, with chance to climb to the top of the table well within their reach.
The Rojiblancos have been outstanding in the league all season, rightly sitting in second place with the best defensive record in the division and an utterly ruthless style of attacking that have been responsible for most of the wins they have recorded. They approach Tuesday's game on the back of a hard-fought 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid this weekend. Since losing to Real Madrid in the latter part of November, Julien Lopetegui's men have remained unbeaten in their last five domestic games. Victory over Barca on Tuesday will see them close the points deficit between them and the league leaders to just three.
Team news
Fernando will be available for Sevilla now that his one-match ban for five yellow cards has been served. Meanwhile, Gonzalo Montiel is set to miss out due to injury, leaving Lopetegui with a right-back problem, with Jesus Navas also absent. Rafa Mir is expected back in attack, while Nemanja Gudelj and Ludwig Augustinsson are also in contention to deputise.
For Barca, Gerard Pique has returned from a one-match suspension, but his return to a three-man backline is far from certain. After being withdrawn due to exhaustion over the weekend, Frenkie de Jong will be assessed before potentially featuring in the squad.
Predicted starting XI
-
Barcelona (4-3-3): Ter Stegen; Araujo, Piqué, Lenglet, Alba; Nico, Busquets, Gavi; Dembélé, Jutglà, Ez Abde.
-
Sevilla (4-3-3): Bono; Koundé, Carlos, Rekik, Augustinsson; Jordán, Fernando, Rakitic; Ocampos, Mir, Gómez
Broadcast information
Match details, result and original broadcast info
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
