Barcelona will be aiming to bounce back from a disappointing Champions League defeat when they continue their La Liga campaign with a clash against Sevilla at Estadio Ramon on Sunday afternoon.
The Catalan giants are top of the La Liga table, one point ahead of second-placed Real Madrid, while a solid start to the season has seen Sevilla pick up 10 points, which is enough for ninth spot in the division.
Match preview
Sevilla finished 17th in Spain's top flight last season, which represented their worst campaign since being relegated from the top flight in 1999-2000, so it would be fair to say that there is room for improvement this term.
Relegation last season would have been catastrophic for a club of Sevilla's ilk, and they only finished one point above the bottom three, but there have been positive signs this season that the fans will not have to fear another relegation battle.
Los Nervionenses actually started their campaign with back-to-back losses to Athletic Bilbao and Getafe, but they have won three of their last five in the league, suffering just one defeat in the process.
Indeed, Matias Almeyda's side have overcome Girona, Alaves and Rayo Vallecano of late, beating the latter 1-0 last time out, with Akor Adams coming up with the winner in the latter stages of the contest.
Sevilla are ninth in the La Liga table on 10 points, only three points behind fourth-placed Elche, and they will be looking to take advantage of any tiredness from Barcelona this weekend.
Sevilla head coach Matias Almeyda on July 19, 2025
Indeed, Barcelona played in the Champions League on Wednesday night, suffering a 2-1 home defeat to an injury-hit Paris Saint-Germain, with the European champions claiming a famous win in the competition.
Hansi Flick's side are going well in La Liga, though, picking up 19 points from their opening seven matches of the campaign, which has left them top of the table, one point ahead of second-placed Real Madrid.
Barcelona recorded a 2-1 victory over Real Sociedad last weekend, while their only dropped points of the season in Spain's top flight came away to Rayo Vallecano before the September international break.
The Catalan giants are on a seven-game winning run against Sevilla, including 5-1 and 4-1 victories in La Liga last term, while they are unbeaten against Sunday's opponents in the league since October 2015.
Barcelona have been utterly dominant in this fixture of late, while they have won 117 of their previous 201 matches against Sevilla, so the Spanish champions will enter this weekend's clash as the heavy favourites.
Sevilla La Liga form:
LWDWLW
Barcelona La Liga form:
WDWWWW
Barcelona form (all competitions):
WWWWWL
Team News
Raphinha after scoring for Barcelona on March 5, 2025
Sevilla will definitely be without the services of two players on Sunday, with Alfon Gonzalez and Tanguy Nianzou both injured, while Joan Jordan and Adnan Januzaj are major doubts for the home side.
Alexis Sanchez played for Barcelona between 2011 and 2014, and the Chilean is in line to face his former club on Sunday, with the 36-year-old set for a start in the final third of the field.
Sevilla are likely to again go with a back three against the champions, while there should also be a spot in the middle of midfield for Lucien Agoume, who is believed to be on the radars of both Manchester United and Arsenal.
As for Barcelona, five players remain on the sidelines due to injury problems, with Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Gavi, Fermin Lopez, Joan Garcia and Raphinha all unavailable for selection.
Head coach Flick is expected to make changes to the side that took to the field for the first whistle against PSG.
Robert Lewandowski is in line for a recall in the final third of the field, while there are expected to be starts at the back for Ronald Araujo and Alejandro Balde.
Marc Casado is an option to freshen up the midfield, but it is expected that both Frenkie de Jong and Pedri will retain their spots in the starting side for the league contest in Seville.
Sevilla possible starting lineup:
Vlachodimos; Cardoso, Marcao, Azpilicueta; Carmona, Agoume, Mendy, Suazo; Sanchez, Romero, Vargas
Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Szczesny; Kounde, Araujo, Cubarsi, Balde; Pedri, De Jong; Yamal, Olmo, Rashford; Lewandowski
SM words green background
We say: Sevilla 1-2 Barcelona
Sevilla are in good form, and the home side are certainly capable of making this a tough match for Barcelona, but we just have a feeling that the champions will be able to navigate their way to an important three points.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
ID:582886:1false2false3false: from db desktop :LenBod:collect7474:
No Data Analysis info
Previews by email
Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!