Barcelona's slightly shaky start to the season looked set to continue at home to Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League midweek, but they turned things around by scoring twice in the game's dying moments and winning, 2-1. It's clear that they've yet to find top gear, and, now hampered by injuries to two of their key creators in Lionel Messi and Andrés Iniesta, opponents will doubtless be thinking that now is as good a time to play them as ever.
Barcelona vs. Sevilla 2015 live stream: Time, TV schedule and how to watch online
Sevilla have struggled in La Liga so far this season, but Barcelona’s recent wobbles show that they’re far from infallible.
Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images
The team hoping to take advantage of their recent woes this weekend will be Sevilla, though they've hardly had a great start to the season themselves. Unai Emery's reigning Europa League champions have picked up just five points from their opening six La Liga games, and hadn't won a single match before their dramatic 3-2 victory over Rayo Vallecano last time out. They've got the talent; now they just need to start delivering on the field.
Key factor: Sevilla's counter-attack
Barcelona’s game against Bayer Leverkusen midweek revealed the difficulties that Luis Enrique’s defense can have against defending the counter-attack. In Sevilla in this match, they’ll come up against a side lethal in such scenarios, with the pace of Vitolo, José Antonio Reyes and Kévin Gameiro always causing problems. If they execute things effectively, it’s not hard to see them pulling off an upset in this match.
When they last met: Barcelona 5-4 (AET) Sevilla, Aug. 11, 2015
It was only a couple of months ago that these sides last met in the UEFA Super Cup (the tournament that sees the winners of the Champions League go up against the winners of the Europa League), but so incredible was the match that it’s worth revisiting. Sevilla opened the scoring through Éver Banega, only for Messi to score a brace and Rafinha and Luis Suárez to get themselves on the score sheet, too. By the 52nd minute it was 4-1, yet Sevilla staged a remarkable comeback, only to be sunk by a winner from Pedro in extra time. Ouch.
Sevilla injuries and suspensions
Out: Nico Pareja, Éver Banega (knee); Daniel Carriço (hamstring); Adil Rami (adductor); Beto (shoulder); Gaël Kakuta, Sergio Escudero (unspecified muscle). In doubt: Fernando Llorente, Vitolo (unspecified muscle).
Barcelona injuries and suspensions
Out: Lionel Messi, Rafinha (knee); Thomas Vermaelen (calf); Andrés Iniesta (hamstring). In doubt: Adriano (unspecified).
Sevilla have a long injury list, with a few regular first-teamers included on it. However, they’ll be hoping both Fernando Llorente and Vitolo recover in time to play.
Barcelona too have their fair share of problems, with both Messi and Iniesta among those missing out. But, with Suárez and Neymar still available, something tells us their attack will be able to absorb the blow.
Match Date/Time: Saturday, 10 a.m. ET, 4 p.m. local
Venue: Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, Seville, Spain
TV: beIN Sports (U.S. and Canada -- English), beIN Sports en Español (U.S. and Canada -- Spanish), Sky Sports 2/HD (U.K.)
Online: Fubo TV (U.S.), beIn Sports Connect (U.S. and Canada), Sky Go (U.K.)
See More:
