Match Preview: FC Barcelona vs Sevilla FC

Barcelona has come up as winners in the last few matches, but will they be victorious again for today’s match? Find out what we think after the jump.

It is the fall season in Barcelona, where sunny climate intertwine with cold showers. Lately the team has won their last four matches and also winning at home. Morale is high at the dressing room although there has been some strange news emanating from the press such as the possibility of our beloved head coach Guardiola to become Ferguson’s successor.

Xavi and Milito are already training with the team and this can only be good news for Barca. Xavi has been featuring very little since the match in Camp Nou against Copenhagen, October 20, and the return of the engine will mean that our attack rhythm will become better and more precise. Same old story for David Villa still goes, where he provided off the ball movements and assists, but his predatory instinct is yet to come. His teammates are encouraging him and saying that today’s match might be his match.

Sevilla themselves may find that they are not favorites in this match because of their erratic form that sees them beating sides like Atletico Madrid but losing to minnows such as Sporting Gijon. 
 They are even a goal away from squandering a 4-0 lead in their last match against Athletic Bilbao, in which the final score is 4-3. This lapses of concentration in defense and midfield may be exploited by Barcelona tonight, but Barca also have to be wary of their strikers who are more than capable of scoring some goals.

Team News

FC Barcelona
With Xavi and Milito back from training, it seems that Mascherano and Keita will start from the bench as Guardiola opts to field his best eleven tonight. Jeffren is the only notable player that is missing from the squad, as the injury he took in Ceuta may prevent him to take part in Barcelona side for one month.

Predicted Starting XI: Valdes-Puyol-Pique-Alves-Abidal-Busquets-Xavi-Iniesta-Pedro-Villa-Messi.

Sevilla

Jesus Navas, Andres Palop, and Fernando Navarro are unavailable for Gregorio Manzano for several reasons. But they will still have Kanoute, Luis Fabiano, and Perotti to wreak havoc in the counter attack. Martin Caceres, who is currently on loan from Barcelona, will also be available to play.

Predicted Starting XI: Varas-Konko-Dabo-Escude-Caceres-Alfaro-Renato-Romaric-Perotti-Fabiano-Kanoute


Prediction
Sevilla will field a 4-4-2 that is wide so they will try to contain Barcelona and try to prevent any dangerous ball to the penalty area. This kind of match is familiar to Barcelona and Cules, but we may see a surprise from Manzano where he will instruct Sevilla to take the initiative, not unlike Valencia a couple weeks ago.

Pedro will be an inverted winger on the right, and so is Villa from the left, and Messi will play a free role center forward in the middle. There will be chances early on from Barcelona and if they score, Sevilla is under more pressure and we should be able to finish them off in the second half. Let’s hope that the weather is nice for football tonight and the boys are able to win this game and let Real Madrid prove themselves whether they are consistent enough to sit as La Liga leaders.