Emery searching for statement of intent

Sevilla’s UEFA Super Cup meeting with Barcelona represents the type of stage Unai Emery wants his club to test themselves upon more frequently.

Emery led Sevilla to the a successful defence of the UEFA Europa League in May with a 3-2 defeat of Dnipro in the final.

That booked a Super Cup clash with Barca, who lifted the Champions League trophy thanks to a 3-1 victory over Juventus in June.

Sevilla’s success over Dnipro earned them a place in Europe’s premier club competition for 2015-16, and Emery sees Tuesday’s game in Tbilisi as a measure of his team’s progress.

“It is one more chance, we want to take advantage against a great opponent who are favourites,” he said.

“The opportunity we have is that we always want to play a lot of games against Barcelona in the future.

“It will mean we are at the top level of football. Tomorrow is a continuation of what we achieved last season.

“We deserve to be here. We make the leap into the Champions League, where we find the best teams in the world. We want to challenge those teams with our capabilities.

“Barcelona are favourites but we will go there with the dream we can spring a surprise. If we beat them, it will boost our confidence and our profile, and give us much-needed impetus for the campaign ahead.

“We have to find ways of reducing the gap between the sides, and when we do, we have to use them to stop Barca. We must approach this tie with the idea of overcoming the differences between the teams.”