Prediction: Sevilla vs Barcelona

Prediction: Sevilla win

Best Odds: 7/5

Bookmaker: 888sport

It’s officially Christmas week and while there are many questions being raised about how badly COVID-19 could derail the football calendar, we also have to focus on the increased schedule that’s coming up across the continent in the next couple of weeks. Today, we’re going to take a look at what should be a fascinating clash of styles between Spanish titans Sevilla and Barcelona.

Sevilla

Sevilla are starting to emerge as the main challengers to Real Madrid in the title race and given the public opinion of how likely Real are to become champions, you could argue that Sevilla aren’t playing with a whole lot of pressure. They’ve got their Europa League commitments to think about but in general, their squad is finely-balanced and the fanbase appears to be pretty happy with the progress they’ve made.

Team News

Fernando will be back in the mix after he served his one-match suspension, however, Montiel is set to join Navas on the injury list.

Barcelona

Xavi Hernandez has been tasked with saving the sinking ship that is Barcelona and we think he’s beginning to realise just how difficult that’s going to be. It’s not as if they’re “too far gone” because they’ve still got great attacking stars coming out of their ears, but the priority for the rest of the campaign is purely going to be for them to limit the damage that has been done thus far to the club’s reputation.

Team News

Pique will return from a one-match ban with de Jong being assessed before kick-off due to fatigue.

Factors to Consider

• Sevilla are 2nd in La Liga whereas Barcelona are 7th.
• Sevilla have won four, drawn one and lost one of their last six games.
• Barcelona have won two, drawn two and lost two of their last six games.
• Sevilla have scored six goals and conceded three in their last six games.
• Barcelona have nine goals and conceded 10 in their last six games.

Conclusion

Barcelona are going to slowly find their groove as time goes on but it’s not going to come fast enough for them to hold Sevilla back here. The favourites aren’t exactly the prettiest team to watch right now but what they can do is grind out results, which is what we’re expecting to see in this one. We’re going to shoot for a 1-0 win for Sevilla that shows just how far the mighty have fallen.

Prediction: Sevilla win

Best Odds: 7/5

Bookmaker: 888sport