Unbeaten champions Barcelona are back in action on Friday against Sevilla in La Liga at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys. Xavi's side drew with Mallorca in midweek and will want to return to winning ways now that Real Madrid and Girona are ahead of them in the Spanish topflight. Sevilla thumped Almeria to come into this one in good form with Barca needing an improved performance from the one which saw them draw on Tuesday after trailing twice. Both sides are in UEFA Champions League action next week hence the early scheduling and Jose Luis Mendilibar's visitors will hope to end an eight-year winless streak against the Catalan giants. Seven points from a possible nine has lifted Sevilla into midtable after a tricky start to the season while Barca trail Real Madrid by one point and Girona by two having drawn twice so far this campaign.
Here's our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Friday, Sept. 29 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Estadio Olimpico Lluis Companys -- Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- TV: ESPN | Live stream: fubo (Try for free)
- Odds: Barca -300; Draw: +450; Sevilla +750
Team news
Barca: Pedri remain out along with Frenkie de Jong while Xavi should start Robert Lewandowski once more. Jules Kounde should start with Inigo Martinez and Ferran potentially missing out while Andreas Christensen might also make way for Ronald Araujo.
Potential Barca XI: Ter Stegen; Cancelo, Araujo, Kounde, Balde; Gundogan, Romeu, Gavi; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Felix.
Sevilla: Oliver Torres, Mariano Diaz, Marcos Acuna, Marcao, Tanguy Nianzou and Alfonso Pastor are all injured. Lucas Ocampos could be a substitute again while veteran pair Sergio Ramos and Ivan Rakitic should start against Barca. Youssef En-Nesyri was favored over Rafa Mir midweek and the Moroccan should start again here.
Golazo Starting XI Newsletter
Get your Soccer Fix from Around the Globe
Your ultimate guide to the Beautiful Game as our experts take you beyond the pitch and around the globe with news that matters.
Thanks for signing up!
Keep an eye on your inbox.
Sorry!
There was an error processing your subscription.
Potential Sevilla XI: Nyland; Navas, Bade, Ramos, Pedrosa; Sow, Rakitic; Suso, Lamela, Lukebakio; En-Nesyri.
Prediction
As long as Barcelona do a better job at keeping Sevilla out than they did against Mallorca then they should be fine. If not, Mendilibar's visitors have the potential to trip up Xavi's hosts and allow Real to potentially retake the lead at La Liga's summit. Pick: Barca 2, Sevilla 1.
