LA LIGA PREVIEW: BARCELONA VS SEVILLA

Barcelona take on their second Andalusian opponent in 5 days, this time at home. Can they make it 10 wins in a row?

Barcelona, despite their disastrous Champions League campaign, have been a force of nature in the domestic competitions. They sit 5 points clear at the top with 50 points, have won all their games in the new year so far while having the best defense in Europe. They also have a Spanish Super Cup trophy to show for their efforts. Now, back at the Spotify Camp Nou, where they've conceded only one goal this season (a penalty), they welcome a Sevilla side who seem to have found a bit of form as of late.

Los Nervionenses have finished in the top 4 for the last 3 seasons. This time, they are struggling to stay up. They sit at 14th currently, but are 2 points away from the drop. Having brought in Jorge Sampaoli to steady the ship, they've found a bit of balance lately, losing only one of their last four games. That'll give them a bit of confidence heading to Barcelona, but they'll need much more than that to trouble their illustrious hosts.

INTERESTING STATS

• In the last 70 meetings between the two teams, Barcelona have won 41 times, and 16 matches have ended in a draw. Sevilla have only managed 13 wins.
• In the last 32 meetings when the Catalan giants have hosted Sevilla, they have won 24 times, and only five have ended in a draw. The visitors have tasted victory only thrice.
• When the two go up against each other, the most common result has been FC Barcelona 2-1 Sevilla. This result has happened on eight occasions.
• It has been over a decade since Barca lost to Sevilla at home. The visitors Sevilla last won at Camp Nou against Barcelona back in 2010.
• Barcelona are unbeaten in the last ten La Liga matches. They last lost in the league back in October 2022.

Last five meetings

03/09/22 (LIGA) Sevilla 0 Barça 3 (Raphinha, Lewandowski, E Garcia)

03/04/22 (LIGA) Barça 1 (Pedri) Sevilla 0

21/12/21 (LIGA) Sevilla 1 Barça 1 (Araujo)

03/03/21 (C DEL REY) Barça 3 (Dembélé, Piqué, Braithwaite) Sevilla 0

27/02/21 (LIGA) Sevilla 0 Barça 2 (Dembélé, Messi)

TEAM NEWS

Barcelona

 Ousmane Dembele remains the only absentee for the Blaugrana. As he is expected to be sidelined for most of February, the rest of the attackers will be expected to step up.

Marc Andre TerStegen will continue in goal. Alejandro Balde was said to have missed the last training due to fever and could possibly be replaced by Jordi Alba in the starting XI. Koundé, Araujo and Christensen will round up the defense.

Xavi has been favoring the 4 man midfield lately, and will likely continue as such here as there are no room for errors in the title race. Raphinha and Lewandowski will round up the starting XI.

Sevilla

Sampaoli will be without some important players for this clash.

Marcao and Marko Dmitrovic are both out with muscle injuries, while Alex Telles, is suffering from a knee problem. Papu Gomez, Jesus Corona and Jesus Navas are also in the infirmary. Adnan Januzaj has joined Istanbul Basaksehir on loan until the end of the season. Despite this list of absentees, Sevilla will feel quite confident with those available.

Yassine Bounou will be in the goal. Gonzalo Montiel, Nemanja Gudelj, Tanguy Nianzou, and Marcos Acuna will round up the defense.

Thomas Delaney and Ivan Rakitic will pivot the midfield, while Joan Jordan, Oliver Torres, and Erik Lamela will sit on top of the pivots and help out the lone frontman, Youssef En-Nesyri. 

Where and when are Barcelona vs Sevilla playing?

Location: Barcelona, Spain 

Stadium: Spotify Camp Nou

Date: Sunday 5 February

Kick-off Time: 20:00 GMT / 17:00 EST / 12:00 PST, 21:00 🇳🇬

Referee: Jose Sanchez

Sevilla are desperate to stay up, and such opponents are never easy to beat. That said, they meet a very dogged Barcelona and face an uphill task of troubling the hosts.

A tightly contested and heated affair is expected, but it's hard to look past Barcelona taking all 3 points here as they too are in a desperate situation of their own: winning their first La Liga title in 3 years.

LA LIGA PREVIEW: REAL BETIS VS BARCELONA

Los Veriblancos are poised for revenge, but do they have enough artillery to overcome the rampant Catalans?

No rest for the League leaders. They're back in La Liga action to take on Real Betis in a game rescheduled due to both teams' participation in the Spanish Super cup.  

After a stellar January, Barcelona will want to start February on a winning note and extend their lead to a tentative 8 points, until Valencia visit the Bernabeu tomorrow. They've endured a lot of scrappy wins last month, a trend they'll hope to put a stop to as they intend to kill of games much earlier, starting with a trip to the Benito Villamarin.

Never an easy ground to visit for opponents, the electric atmosphere of the Villamarin always acts as the 12th man for Real Betis. Their current form however, leaves quite a bit to be desired, having won only 3 of their last 9 La Liga games. Getting a win against the league leaders will do more than enough to boost their morale, but it's easier said than done.

INTERESTING STATS

- In the last 43 matches between the clubs, Barcelona have an impressive recent record having won 26, as opposed to Real Betis, who have only nine victories.

- In La Liga, Real Betis’s record against Barcelon is a worry for their fans. They have won only two of their last 22 games against Barcelona in La Liga. Their last two wins have come away at Camp Nou.

- Barcelona are on a five-match winning run away from home against Real Betis in La Liga. They are on the verge of becoming the first team to ever win six such games in a row in the competition.

- Xavi’s team have only lost one of their last 30 away games against Real Betis in La Liga. The last defeat was back in 2002.

- Before the start of their winless run at home, Real Betis were on a run of six consecutive victories at home in La Liga. Currently, they are on a winless run of three matches.

Last five meetings
12/01/23 (SUPERCOPA) Barça 2 (Lewandowski, Fati) Betis 2 (Barça won on pens)
07/05/22 (LIGA) Betis 1 Barça 2 (Fati, Alba)
04/12/21 (LIGA) Barça 0 Betis 1
07/02/21 (LIGA) Betis 2 Barça 3 (Messi, OG, Trincao)
07/11/20 (LIGA) Barça 5 (Dembélé, Griezmann, Messi 2, Pedri) Betis 2

TEAM NEWS

Real Betis

 Juan Cruz is the only absentee Betis will have to deal with. Juanmi, Nabil Fekir and Borja Iglesias have all been declared fit and have made the squad.

Manuel Pellegrini is likely to stick to his 4-2-3-1 formation, with Rui Silva in goal behind German Pezzella and Luiz Felipe at the heart of the defense. Juan Miranda and Youssouf Sabaly are likely to be his full-backs for the big game.

There is no doubt about the fact that the pair of William Carvalho and Guido Rodriguez will start. Fekir will return as the attacking midfielder, while Luiz Henrique and Sergio Canales will handle the wings. Finally, Borja Iglesias will resume duties at the number nine position. 

Barcelona

Xavi will be glad to have Robert Lewandowski available once again after serving his suspension. Barça have had problems scoring the second goal last month and the polish striker's presence will be more than welcome going forward. Ferran Torres has also completed his suspension and will be available for selection. Dembele however, will be sidelined for the considerable future.

German shot stopper and sweeper keeper Marc Andre TerStegen will resume his duties, protected by Araujo, Kounde, Christensen and Balde.

Xavi could go for his midfield 4 of Pedri, Gavi, Busquets and Frenkie, sacrificing a winger in the process. This means that Robert Lewandowski will be flanked on the left by Gavi ( or Pedri) and Raphinha on the right.

Where and when are Real Betis vs Barcelona playing?

Location: Seville, Spain 

Stadium: Estadio Benito Villamarín

Date: Wednesday 1 February

Kick-off Time: 20:00 GMT / 15:00 EST / 12:00 PST 21:00 🇳🇬

Referee: Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea

Real Betis are capable of finding the net against Barcelona at home, even on their worst days, but Barça have always outscored their opponents in the Villamarin. Expect a tightly contested game with goals involved, but the Catalan giants are favored here.