Barcelona welcome Sevilla to the Camp Nou on Saturday for a important match in the title race. Barca are two points behind Real Madrid thanks to a loss against their rivals last month along with a home defeat at the hands of Celta Vigo. Sevilla are in fifth place, just two points behind Barca and they could pass the Catalan club with a win.
Barcelona vs. Sevilla live stream: Time, TV schedule and how to watch La Liga online
Barcelona return from the international break facing a tough test against Sevilla.
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Sevilla's attack is led by the dangerous Carlos Bacca, who has scored seven goals in league play for his side. He's been a big part of Sevilla's strong start to the season, but he has help. Grzegorz Krychowiak is drawing attention with his play in the midfield, while Stéphane M'bia and Alexis Vidal provide scoring threats as well.
This is Ivan Rakitić's first match against Sevilla since leaving the club over the summer to join Barca. He'll likely have some mixed emotions about facing his old team, but once the whistle blows all those feelings should go away. Two Barca players -- Gerard Deulofeu and Denis Suarez -- are on season-long loans at Sevilla and could play.
Key Player: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Distractions continue to hound Lionel Messi and there are concerns it’s affecting his game. Between chasing the all-time La Liga scoring record, dealing with the media speculating about him leaving the club and his pending tax issues with the government, Messi has clearly lost his scoring touch. He’s hit the woodwork plenty, but finding the back of the net remains an issue. Barca could really use their star player to get a goal and break the funk he’s in.
Key Matchup: Sevilla’s defense vs. Neymar, Messi and Luis Suárez
Sevilla's defense has been solid this season with just 11 goals allowed so far. If you take away a 4-0 loss against Atlético Madrid, that number looks even better and Sevilla haven't given up more than a goal in a match since that loss. Of course, they haven't had to deal with Barca's attack. We know how good the trio of Messi, Neymar and Luis Suárez are, so this will be a big test for Sevilla to see how they deal with them.
Barcelona injuries and suspensions
In Doubt: Andres Iniesta (calf), Jeremy Mathieu (calf), Rafinha (thigh).
Sevilla injuries and suspensions
In Doubt: Benoit Tremoulinas (toe), Vicente Iborra (muscular injury).
Both teams have players facing fitness tests ahead to the match. Barca will hope to have Iniesta and Mathieu available and Rafinha could make a return as well. Sevilla will be sweating the availability of Tremoulinas and Iborra.
Match Date/Time: Saturday, 8 p.m. local, 2 p.m. ET
Venue: Camp Nou, Barcelona
TV: beIN Sports (U.S. - English), beIN Sports en Español (U.S. - Spanish), beIN Sports (Canada), Canal+ Yomvi, Canal+ 1/HD/30 (Spain)
Online: beIN Sports CONNECT (U.S. & Canada)
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