Sevilla v Barcelona preview: Luis Enrique wary of dangerous Sevilla
Sunday 6 November 2016 20:45, UK
Luis Enrique is wary of an in-form Sevilla side as his Barcelona team travel to the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium on Sunday evening.
Jorge Sampaoli's men have lost just once in La Liga so far this season and sit in fourth place - just one point behind the Catalan club in second.
The two sides have already met in the Spanish Super Cup this season, which Barcelona won 5-0 on aggregate in the middle of August.
But manager Luis Enrique is not resting on past results to see them through, live on Sky Sports this weekend, and knows Sevilla will be a tough opponent.
"It will be a difficult game as Sevilla are in a strong position," Enrique said. "To win we will need to get the upper hand in the individual battles all over the pitch.
"Sevilla has had a spectacular start to the season playing good football and they are very hard to beat at home. If they are in a strong league position it is because they deserve it and this will be a tough game against a difficult opponent.
"They are a club that has a high turnover of players and this year they also have a new manager but they are improving all the time. From what they have shown so far, Sevilla could be in with a chance of winning the league.
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"The game we won in the Supercup is a reference point. However, they are changing the way they play as the season progresses. So, it won't be a determining factor."
Team news
Barcelona will be travelling without five first-team regulars with Gerard Pique, Andres Iniesta, Jordi Alba, Aleix Vidal and Jeremy Mathieu all suffering with injuries.
Two Barcelona B team players have been named in the squad in their places, with youngsters Nili and Marlon also making the trip to Sevilla.
Samir Nasri will be available for the hosts after missing out in midweek and has flourished at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium since his loan move from Manchester City.
However, defender Gabriel Mercado will miss out through suspension and Nico Pareja is injured.
Betting
The La Liga champions travel to Andalucia on the back of a 3-1 defeat to Manchester City, having had their defensive vulnerabilities exposed by Pep Guardiola's side.
Their hosts have arguably been the over-performers of the season, sitting fourth after losing just one of their first 10 games and claiming the significant scalp of Atletico Madrid a fortnight ago.
The arrival of Nasri has had a huge impact and provided the quality to go with the intense pressing style that manager Sampaoli has imposed on his new side.
Despite all of the above, Barca are considered odds-on favourites with Sky Bet, who make Sevilla 19/5 to make it six wins from six at home and really announce themselves as genuine title contenders.
Prediction: Sevilla to win and both teams to score - 6/1 with Sky Bet
