Full-time: Barcelona 2-1 Sevilla
90 min +2: Barça clear and break through Messi. He lays off to Suárez, who crosses to Neymar but the ball is out for a goal-kick. No matter; that’s full time. They are 34 games unbeaten, scoring 102 goals in that period. They lead by eight points, with Atlético in second, four points clear of Real. The title, you sense, is a done deal. Sevilla were good here and could still finish fourth and take that final Champions League place, which is currently occupied by Villarreal. That’s all from me. Thanks for reading. Bye!
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90 min +1: I could just post the previous update again and say another corner.
90 min +1: Konoplyanka’s delivery is headed out for a corner by Rakitic.
90 min: Sevilla are still attacking. Gamiero is fouled cynically by Pique on the left. He is booked and has allowed Sevilla to pour men forward into the box. There will be two minutes added on …
89 min: Neymar has just managed a rabona – take note Sunderland’s Wahbi Khazri. Rico saves the cross from the left, though.
87 min: Mathieu breaks up a Sevilla attack and then sets Neymar away to break, who soon feeds Suárez. The visitors retreat quickly enough to recover, though.
84 min: Barça are running the clock down. And that is something we have not seen too much of this season.
82 min: Barça do have enough energy to break, though. Messi sets Suárez away. From a tight angle he sits Kolo down on his back side but sends an audacious, perhaps silly, chip straight at Rico.
80 min: Konoplyanka plays in Vitolo, who goes down so easily after spotting Pique’s shadow. There is a sense that Sevilla are fresher here, despite not getting back from Molde until the early hours on Friday morning. Barça had four days break – though that is their longest gap between games since Christmas.
79 min: Konoplyanka delivers to N’Zonzi but the former Stoke player cannot connect with his header.
78 min: N’Zonzi, sliding, is met by a desperate goal-saving challenge from Busquets. It’s a corner for Sevilla but it could have been so much more.
77 min: Kolo is booked for a silly foul on Suárez near halfway, meaning both Sevilla centre-halves will miss the game against Eibar in midweek.
An email from Charles Antaki: “Has there been a footballer for whom a saved head is less suitable than Andres Iniesta? He looks like a large, very ill, eight-month old.”
76 min: A change for both teams. Barça’s: Roberto is off for Rakitic. Sevilla: Muñoz is on for Iborra
73 min: Gamiero has an effort cleared off the line and in the space of a few seconds Suárez is through on goal after a deflected through ball from Messi but cannot get his feet right. The ball bounces off him and Rico clears.
71 min: Alves commits a similar foul on Iborra and is booked – the key difference being it was outside the box, you suspect. That yellow card means he will be out of Thursday’s trip to Rayo.
69 min: Some trickery from Neymar on the endline concludes with Rami shoving him. The home fans want a penalty but play continues. Neymar does not protest too much.
Meanwhile in France, Lyon lead PSG 2-0 and are on course to ending the Ligue 1 runaway leaders’ unbeaten campaign.
Le superbe but de Darder. 2-0 ! #OLPSG pic.twitter.com/Q7bQvan8JA
— Guillaume L (@GuillaumeL_) February 28, 2016
65 min: Konoplyanka is involved immediately, winning a corner. It is overhit, evading everybody including Bravo who came out to punch and Sevilla are allowed to resume attacking. It all comes back to where it started, with Konoplyanka on the left. This time his cross goes straight out for a goal-kick.
64 min: Iniesta, with a freshly-shaved dome, is on for Turan and takes the armband off an obliging Messi.
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63 min: Perpetual Liverpool target Konoplyanka replaces Cristóforo. That is quite an attacking move from Sevilla … but Barça will respond by sending Iniesta on in a moment. On the pitch N’Zonzi fires over.
60 min: Suárez is furious with himself after perhaps costing Roberto a goal. A cross from Turan on the left is met by the defender’s melon. It’s heading on target and Rico looks nowhere near it … but Suárez cannot stop himself from running accidentally into the ball as it zooms goalwards.
59 min: Iborra sides to Krohn-Dehli, who curls wide first time from the D. It was a difficult attempt, to be fair to the lad, the ball coming across him under pressure.
58 min: Iniesta is warming up and it can be confirmed that he has gotten rid of that short-lived shocker of a haircut.
56 min: … and Mathieu heads wide without giving Sevilla any cause for concern.
54 min: Now Rico denies Busquets, who smashes an enticing cut back from Roberto. Alves replaces Vidal before the corner is taken by Messi …
52 min: At the other end, almost immediately, Neymar goes close but finds his match in the Sevilla keeper Rico, making a good reaction save from close range.
51 min: Gamiero, turning Pique on the edge of the area following a Iborra pass, is denied by Bravo, who gets down well to his left to save.
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Goal! Barcelona 2-1 Sevilla (Pique)
48 min: And the defender puts Barça ahead. It’s a tidy left-footed finish, too. The corner had not been cleared fully and while Pique hung about in the box, Messi and Suárez produced a scrumptious exchange, ending with the latter guiding a pass into the centre-half. Lovely stuff.
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47 min: Messi lays off to Roberto on the right. He sends a pinpoint cross towards Neymar at the back-post, but his first-time effort is saved by Rico. Barça have a corner …
Restarted!
46 min: Sevilla get things going again.
The teams are back out. We are about to restart. Can Sevilla take the fight to Barça again? Or will the hosts move up another gear?
Half-time: Barcelona 1-1 Sevilla
45 min: There will be no added time. That has been quite entertaining, though. Vitolo gave Sevilla the lead but Messi’s superlative equaliser levelled for Barça.
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42 min: The hosts are finishing the half strongly. Neymar plays in Messi on the edge of the area – falling awkwardly on his arm in the process – and the shot is turned out for a corner, which is cleared.
39 min: Coke shoves Neymar to the ground, conceding a free-kick a little too far out for Messi to have a shot. Turan takes it short instead and Barça work down the left channel.
37 min: Turan wins possession in midfield and immediately sets Messi away. He picks his spot but Rico makes himself big and saves to keep the game level.
35 min: Messi is back on.
34 min: Sevilla remain dangerous on the break. Gameiro wins a corner off Mathieu but Krohn-Dehli’s delivery is cleared first time. Messi is momentarily off to receive some magic spray on his right leg.
Goal! Barcelona 1-1 Sevilla (Messi)
31 min: Oh my. What a strike from Barça’s magical No10. He zips an amazing effort over the wall, curling it into the top right corner. Rico had no chance. And that is Messi’s 30th for the season, 20 in the league.
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30 min: Rami is booked – and will miss Sevilla’s next game at home to Eibar – for a foul on Suárez on the edge of the visitors’ area after the Uruguayan rolled the defender easily having been fed by a Neymar back-heel. Neymar and Messi are eyeing it up …
28 min: Barça are really missing Iniesta and Rakitic here. The ball is not being supplied to the front three quick enough in their absence.
25 min: Messi falls under pressure from Trémoulinas in the area but the Barça star does not look for a penalty and the ball bounces harmlessly out for a goal-kick.
23 min: Sevilla are still pushing forward on the counter here – they obviously (and sensibly) think Barça will score at some point. Trémoulinas skips past Vidal before sending another teasing cross in. This time Mathieu is on hand to get rid.
20 min: Krohn-Dehli beats the offside trap on the left and feeds to Trémoulinas on the overlap. He sends a cross towards Vitolo at the back-post and he finishes delightfully across Bravo and into the bottom left corner. The only team in La Liga without an away win lead at the runaway leaders!
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Goal! Barcelona 0-1 Sevilla (Vitolo)
20 min: The visitors lead and they deserve it.
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17 min: Neymar, after a neat interchange with Turan, races down the left flank and wins a corner. The Brazilian takes, but Rami is on hand to head clear. Jordi Alba collects possession near halfway and Barça will go again.
13 min: Barcelona hit the goalframe twice in the space of five seconds. Suárez gets his first sight at goal, shooting straight at Rico after Vidal’s through ball. From the corner Messi hits a post directly. The rebound drops to Suárez and he volleys against the bar.
11 min: So far (and it can change in an instant with Barça) Sevilla have been impressive here. Gameiro’s pace is troubling them. And a long ball forward almost catches out Bravo, who is way off his line. He controls and passes the ball back (!) towards goal for Alba to clear.
8 min: What a chance for Sevilla. Krohn-Dehli takes another corner, this time short to Trémoulinas. He crosses in where Koldziejczal – or Kolo as his team-mates call him – fires over from six yards after N’Zonzi’s knockdown. If only it had fallen to an attacker instead of a centre-half.
6 min: Sevilla win a corner that is taken by Krohn-Dehli. Coke rises to head it and after a scramble ensues, the defender’s effort coming off Mathieu’s chest, N’Zonzi has a shot blocked.
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4 min: Barça have already monopolised possession. The trident link up for the first time – a 1-2 between Messi and Suárez knocks Sevilla’s back four out of shape, but the former’s pass to Neymar is a tad too wide and the cross back in from the left is cleared.
2 min: Neymar does some dancing – a couple of roulettes to be specific – before feeding the ball right to Messi. The Brazilian charges into the box but Messi’s lofted through ball cannot find his attacking partner.
Kick-off!
1 min: Barça begin, playing from left to right as we watch in their red and blue home kit. Sevilla are in white with red trim.
The teams are out. Enrique and Emery are still in the tunnel having a natter and a hug. We are moments away.
So Luis Enrique makes three changes from the Arsenal game, with Roberto, Mathieu and Vidal coming in for Alves, Mascherano and Iniesta. They are all on the bench. Sevilla line up as expected, with Vitolo fit enough to start on the right of their attacking midfield three.
The teams
Barcelona: Bravo; Roberto, Pique, Mathieu, Alba; Turan, Busquets, Vidal; Messi, Suárez, Neymar. Subs: Ter Stegen, Rakitic, Alves, Iniesta, Mascherano, Bartra, Munir.
Sevilla: Rico; Coke, Rami, Kolo, Trémoulinas; N’Zonzi, Cristóforo; Vitolo, Iborra, Krohn-Dehli; Gamiero. Subs: To be confirmed.
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Hello. Have you watched enough football yet today? Of course not. There is always time for a helping of Barcelona. Real are out of the title race. Atlético, despite winning the Madrid derby yesterday, are clinging on and nobody appears capable of stopping the irrepressible Barcelona. Does anybody expect Sevilla, who sit in a respectable sixth, to halt Luis Enrique’s team?
No. Absolutely not … but hold on, what’s this? The last team to beat Barça, 34 matches ago, were indeed Sevilla – winning 2-1 at the Sánchez Pizjuán on 3 October. But a key note: Lionel Messi was absent and the Sevilla goalkeeper Sergio Rico had to contend with 28 attempts.
Unai Emery’s team have lost only one of their last 13 in the league but are quite erratic. WDWDWLWWDWDWD, reads the form guide. They warmed up for this by losing 1-0 at Molde in the Europa League on Thursday, though they had won the first leg of that last-32 tie 3-0. They are without the suspended Ever Banega, which is a sizeable blow, while the attacking midfielder Vitolo is carrying a knock and in a race to be fit.
Barça are at full strength following their win against Arsenal in the Champions League on Tuesday and should use the additional 48 hours rest to their advantage. Victory would see them pull eight points clear of Atlético again and an insurmountable 12 ahead of Zinedine Zidane’s Real.
Confirmed team news will be along momentarily. There will surely be plenty of entertainment. Kick-off is 8.30pm in Catalonia, 7.30pm GMT.
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