𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄: 𝗦𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮 𝘃𝘀 𝗕𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗮

FC Barcelona continue their league campaign as they face Sevilla on matchday 25, and will look to take advantage of the fixtures' complexity to initiate an upward push on the league table. Second placed Real Madrid face fifth placed Real Sociedad, whilst Atletico Madrid face sixth placed Villarreal in matchday 25 round of fixtures. Next week's round of fixtures will host the Madrid derby, which presents an opportunity for either or both Madrid sides to drop valuable points, which would prove valuable to Barcelona's title race. However, whatever results may abound, one thing is certain; that the team cannot afford to lose points at this stage of the campaign, having already dropped 2 valuable points in the late draw against Cadiz.

Barcelona travel to Seville to face a Sevilla side who have won 5 of their last 6 matches, with their only loss being the 3-2 defeat suffered against Dortmund in the Champions League. Sevilla have played 15 games this year, recording only 2 loses which came against Atletico Madrid and Dortmund, as well as a draw against Real Betis on Matchday 17. In this period, they have conceded only 6 goals and have scored 29. Overall, in the league this season, they have scored 34 goals, and have let in 16.

Barcelona and Sevilla have faced off on two occasions this season, with the Catalans failing to win any of the ties, recording a 1-1 draw in the Matchday 5 fixture in the league, and a 2-0 loss in the first leg of the Copa Del Rey tie. Ronald Koeman's men currently sit third on the log with 50 points after 24 rounds of matches, whilst Sevilla sit fourth with 48 points having played a game less than the Catalans.

Julen has built a technical side out of Sevilla, with a blend of physicality and experience, amidst incredible squad depth. Sevilla thrive on pressing, fludity and positional discipline as well as incredible passing and ball movement. Defensive solidity of Carlos and Kounde, as well as the experience of Jesus Navas will demand optimal output from Barcelona in attack if the Catalans are to get the maximum from the game. Sevilla also boast incredible attacking firepower, in the likes of Munir, Suso, Lukk De Jong, En Nyeseri and Papu Gomez.

𝗜𝗡𝗝𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗦

Both teams have players out due to injuries, with Sevilla set to be without Ocampus and Acuna. Ronald Koeman will be without the services of Phil Coutinho who suffered a relapse, Ansu Fati, Sergi Roberto whose layoff time has been extended to 5-6 weeks and Miralem Pjanic who suffered ankle discomfort today.

𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗫𝗜

Ronald Koeman is set to field a full strength against Sevilla, having lined up a rotated side in the mid-week tie against Elche. Ter Stegen is set to start in goal, with Pique slotting in at CB. However it is unclear if Koeman will slot Araujo straight back into the XI or if he will start on the bench, following his return from injury. Possibly Mingueza or Lenglet who was rested against Elche will partner Pique at CB. Sergino Dest starts at Rightback while Jordi Alba slots in at leftback. Busquets who started the mid-week clash on the bench is set to return to the XI alongside Frenkie and Pedri. Both Griezmann and Dembele started the midweek clash on the bench, and will most likely return to the XI against Sevilla.

              MATS;

Dest—Pique—Lenglet—Alba;

   Frenkie—Busquets—Pedri; 

Griezmann—Messi—Dembele.

Sevilla's predicted XI:

Bono; J. Navas, Kounde, Carlos, Escudero; Rakitic, Jordan, Fernando; De Jong, Suso, Munir.

A win in Sevilla would be a big boost to the team's morale, as it increases their chances of success in the title race, as well as boosts the confidence level of Koeman's army ahead of the next match involving the same opponents at the Camp Nou, the second leg of the Copa Del Rey clash, where the catalan face the uphill task of overturning a 2 goal deficit in order to keep their trophy hopes alive.