Barcelona vs Sevilla FC
They sit at the top of the La Liga table with five points clear of Real Madrid, but Barcelona must press on. And on Friday night, they head to the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuain for their biggest test so far.
Sevilla vs Barcelona is on offer to kick off a spectacular weekend of football, when SBOBET football fans can look forward to all the action from La Liga, the Bundesliga, and the Premier League, as well as the welcome comeback of football in Italy with Serie A starting on Saturday.
This match is a great way to get things going. Julen Lopetegui will have his Sevilla side primed and ready to take on the Champions as they try to keep their top-four push on track.
Meanwhile, Barca’s lead at the summit could be down to two points by Friday, and so they can’t afford any slip-ups.
Los Blancos have the better head-to-head record and that means in the event of the teams finishing level, the title would be on its way out of Catalonia and heading for Madrid.
Talking Points
Sevilla holding off the pack
Lopetegui’s Champions League chasing team started well with a 2-0 victory over Real Betis in the first game back after the three month break, as star striker Lucas Ocampos kept up his scoring run by slotting home the opener from the penalty spot.
That’s the 25-year-old Argentine’s 11th of the season and his goals will be vital for Sevilla in the run-in.
A 1-1 draw away to Levante was a slight setback though, as Los Palanganas threw away a lead in the 87th minute when a Diego Carlos own goal canceled out Luuk de Jong’s opener.
They remain unbeaten in eight games, but five have been draws and Lopetegui will be keen to turn those into wins over the next nine matches.
The former Spain and Real Madrid boss has done a good job in Seville. A year ago, his team were seventh in the league table with 43 points and now they are in third place on 71 points.
But they are not sitting comfortably, with Real Sociedad and Getafe four points behind and Atletico Madrid five behind, and both Sociedad and Atleti have a game in hand.
Lopetegui comes into the game with a full squad to pick from, but experienced midfielders Jesus Navas and Franco Vazquez are both just one yellow card away from a suspension.
Ansu has the answer
The Blaugrana have returned from the break in league winning form, taking six points from two games scoring six and conceding none.
And in the last outing, 17 year–old wonderkid Ansu Fati was on target in the victory over Leganes, tormenting the strugglers with his quick feet and turn of pace.
He scored his goal with calm assurance, finding the bottom corner from 20 yards. So if anyone was wondering how Barca will eventually replace Lionel Messi, we may just have the answer.
Of course, the record breaking Messi is irreplaceable but Ansu is the future, and it’s looking bright for Barca if they can keep hold of their young star.
Back in the now, Messi, as imperious as ever, scored his 21st of the season against Leganes and Quique Setien has the returning Luis Suarez to call on, as well as Antoine Griezmann and new signing Martin Braithwaite.
He may even give Fati a break to protect his young star, but what an array of options to choose from.
History
The Blaugrana have had much the better of the head-to-head Sevilla vs Barcelona results over the past 62 games, winning 39 and losing 12 while there have been 11 draws.
Messi and Suarez were both on target when Barca hammered Seville 4-0 in Round 8 of this season. In fact, the Blaugrana have won the last three meetings by big margins, scoring 16 goals and conceding three.
But Sevilla are unbeaten in eight games at home, so where do we go with our Sevilla vs Barcelona betting tips?
Betting Tip
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Barcelona vs Sevilla FC | Sevilla FC First Half Asian Handicap +0.25 @ 1.90 |
| June 20, 04:00 (GMT+8) |
Well, Sevilla are at odds of 3.98 to win, with the draw at 3.40 and Barca at 1.82 to take all three points.
The Asian handicap option offers the hosts at 2.06 with a +0.50 start and Barca at 1.83 with that handicap, and I can see Setien’s side coming out on top at the end of 90 minutes.
But in both Barca’s wins since the return, they have been slow to get into their stride eventually winning at a canter, but that was against two sides struggling to avoid relegation.
If we see the same pattern here against a top side then we could have a fascinating second 45 minutes!
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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