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Sevilla logo
La Liga | Gameweek 30
Jun 19, 2020 at 9pm UK
Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan
Barcelona logo

Sevilla
0 - 0
Barcelona


Reguilon (26'), Fernando (45+4'), Banega (62')
FT

Pique (39'), Busquets (45+4')

Preview: Sevilla vs. Barcelona - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Friday's La Liga clash between Sevilla and Barcelona, including team news and predicted lineups.

Third will welcome first in Spain's top flight on Friday night as the reigning champions Barcelona head to Sevilla for what looks set to be a fascinating battle at the Estadio Ramon.

Sevilla have picked up four points from their two La Liga matches since returning to action on June 11, while Barca have collected six from a possible six to consolidate their spot at the top of the table.


Match preview

Sevilla's Fernando celebrates scoring their second goal against Real Betis on June 11, 2020© Reuters

Considering Sevilla's pedigree, it is perhaps somewhat of a surprise that they have only claimed a top-four position in La Liga in one of the last nine seasons.

The Seville-based outfit have finished seventh and sixth in their last two campaigns at this level but are currently in a position to bring Champions League football back to the Estadio Ramon next term.

Indeed, a total of 51 points from 29 matches has left them in third spot in the table, four points clear of fourth-placed Real Sociedad and fifth-placed Getafe.

Julen Lopetegui's side are now unbeaten in their last six league matches, picking up four points from their two matches against Real Betis and Levante since the return of the 2019-20 campaign.

They have only won half of their 14 home league matches this season, though, and have not actually beaten Barca in the league since October 2015, losing their last three against the Catalan giants.

Barcelona players celebrate scoring against Mallorca on June 14, 2020© Reuters

Barca, meanwhile, have won their last three in Spain's top flight since suffering a 2-0 defeat away to Real Madrid at the start of March.

The reigning champions beat Real Sociedad 1-0 before the lockdown period, while they have overcome Mallorca and Leganes in their two fixtures since returning to action on June 13.

Quique Setien's side are currently five points clear of second-placed Real Madrid at the top of the table, although Los Blancos will have the chance to move back to within two when they face Valencia on Thursday.

All five of Barca's La Liga defeats this season have actually come on their travels, which is bound to hand Sevilla confidence ahead of Friday's clash, although the Catalan giants thumped Mallorca 4-0 in their last away fixture on June 13, with Lionel Messi in fine form once again.

The leaders will be looking for victories in their next three ahead of a potentially key home match against Atletico Madrid at the end of the month, but there is no question that Sevilla are capable of making it an uncomfortable 90 minutes for the visitors.

Sevilla La Liga form: DWWDWD
Sevilla form (all competitions): WDWDWD

Barcelona La Liga form: WWLWWW
Barcelona La Liga form (all competitions): WDLWWW


Team News

Barcelona's Martin Braithwaite in action on February 22, 2020© Reuters

Sevilla's squad, from an injury point of view, is in excellent shape at the moment. Indeed, Lopetegui has no serious fitness concerns ahead of Friday's clash, meaning that he has plenty of decisions to make when it comes to picking a starting XI, particularly in the final third.

Fernando was named on the bench against Levante but should return to the side here, while Suso and Oliver Torres could come into their manager's thinking when it comes to starting roles.

Munir El Haddadi is expected to feature against his former club, while Lucas Ocampos has been Sevilla's standout player this season with 13 goals in all competitions and will again line up in an attacking spot.

As for Barca, Ousmane Dembele is still on the sidelines with a long-term hamstring injury, but Jordi Alba is available after serving a one-game suspension on Tuesday night.

Alba should replace Junior Firpo at left-back, while there are expected to be changes elsewhere with Setien potentially reverting to the bulk of the XI that started against Mallorca on June 13.

Martin Braithwaite scored in the victory over Mallorca, and the fact that the attacker was not used against Leganes suggests that he will be involved in Friday's contest, leaving Luis Suarez to continue his recovery from a long-term knee injury off the bench.

As a result, Antoine Griezmann could again start through the middle, while there are expected to be recalls for Frenkie de Jong and Arturo Vidal in the middle of the park.

Sevilla possible starting lineup:
Vaclik; Navas, Kounde, Carlos, Escudero; Banega, Fernando, Jordan; Ocampos, De Jong, Munir

Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Ter Stegen; Roberto, Pique, Lenglet, Alba; Vidal, Busquets, De Jong; Braithwaite, Griezmann, Messi


Sports Mole Logo

We say: Sevilla 1-1 Barcelona

There is no question that this is a difficult match for the champions as Sevilla chase down a top-four finish. These two sides shared the points at the Estadio Ramon in March 2018, and we are expecting another draw here, which would not be the worst result in the world for Barca.



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Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Barcelona win with a probability of 45.62%. A win for Sevilla had a probability of 30.41% and a draw had a probability of 24%.

The most likely scoreline for a Barcelona win was 1-2 with a probability of 9.25%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-1 (8.42%) and 0-2 (7.01%). The likeliest Sevilla win was 2-1 (7.33%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.1%). The actual scoreline of 0-0 was predicted with a 5.1% likelihood.


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Barcelona's Lionel Messi celebrates scoring their first goal on January 19, 2020
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Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Barcelona14111242142834
2Atletico MadridAtletico148512181329
3Real Madrid1283125111427
4Villarreal127322319424
5GironaGirona146352018221
6Mallorca146351312121
7Osasuna136341720-321
8Athletic Bilbao135531913620
9Real BetisBetis145541616020
10Real Sociedad135351110118
11Celta Vigo145362224-218
12Rayo Vallecano124441313016
13Sevilla134361218-615
14Leganes133551316-314
15Getafe142751011-113
16AlavesAlaves144191524-913
17Las PalmasLas Palmas143381825-712
18Valencia122461219-710
19Espanyol133191226-1410
20Real ValladolidValladolid142391027-179


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