Seville vs. Barcelona - Betting preview and odds

La Liga

Football
Published: 02/10/2015

Seville vs. Barcelona - Betting preview and odds

October 4, 2015 16:00pm - Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán

La Liga

The winners of last season’s two major European club trophies go head-to-head on Saturday afternoon when Sevilla host Barcelona at the Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán.

Defensive issues for Sevilla

Sevilla finally picked up their first league win of the season last weekend when they beat Rayo Vallecano by three goals to two to relieve some of the pressure on Coach Unai Emery. Having lost three out of four matches prior to that game the Basque-born boss had started to receive some criticism from certain sections of the Spanish media, prompting the dreaded vote of confidence from club President Jose Castro.

The Andalucian team currently sit in 16th place in the league, nine points adrift of the Champions League qualification zone. Their biggest problem this season has been in defence where they have conceded 10 goals and kept just one clean sheet. Meanwhile, they have only managed to find the net on five occasions with three of those goals coming last weekend.

Los Rojiblancos could be forgiven for their slow start given their busy schedule last season and some significant summer personnel changes but they will be keen to escape from their current rut, and what better way to do that than by beating the Spanish and European Champions.

No Messi for Barca

The reigning league champions have had a decent start to the season with the defeat to Celta de Vigo the only black mark on their record. They are now entering a testing period where they will have to do without multi-Balon D’or winner Lionel Messi for up to two months. Of course, few will have sympathy for a side that boasts so much world class talent and has plenty of capable players waiting in the wings.

Luis Enrique still has his critics but he guided the club to another trophy-laden season last year and is having to steer the club through a period of transition. As well as managing the careers of some older players and integrating new ones, he has also made changes to the tactical set-up. On top of all this, the Catalan team also had one of the busiest schedules of any club in the world this year.

Team news

Vitolo and Fernando Llorente could both return for Sevilla after missing last week’s game against Rayo.

For the visitors, Thomas Vermaelen and Rafinha have joined Messi on the sidelines and Iniesta remains a doubt after picking up an injury in the mid-week Champions League game.

Recent form (La Liga)

Sevilla: WLLDL

Barcelona: WLWWW

Betting odds and tips

The last time the two teams met, Barcelona prevailed 5-4 (aet) in a thrilling European Super Cup final, while in this fixture last year, the teams played out a 2-2 draw.

The home side have not beaten Barca since 2010 and based on the current form of both teams, it is hard to imagine that statistic changing this weekend - even without the presence of Messi.

An away win can be backed at 5/2 with William Hill and Luis Suarez can be backed to score anytime at evens with Bet365.

Go To bet365
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Any odds displayed within this article were correct at the time of publishing (02/10/2015) but are subject to change.

02/10/2015     © Frixo 2024

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