That’s all for now. Thanks as always for following with us. Here’s the report off tonight’s match.
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Full time: Barcelona 3-0 Sevilla
Barcelona make it nine wins from 10 matches – and a perfect four from four against Sevilla this season – to move top of La Liga by one point over Real Madrid. Of course, that lead could prove temporary with Los Blancos kicking off away to Leganes in just a few minutes.
Vitolo (Sevilla) sent off with second yellow!
90min+2: Vitolo is shown a second yellow for a foul on Neymar. A thunderous shot from Neymar is parried away by a fully extended Sergio Rico, giving Barcelona a corner that’s cleared easily. That might have been the fourth.
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87 min: Iniesta looks to thread it forward to Neymar but it’s broken up at the last moment. Sevilla have done a much better job since half-time disrupting Barcelona’s attack, but they’ve never really threatened the hosts aside from a handful of decent chances. These will be three points well earned for Barcelona.
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85 min: Alena shown yellow, yet both sides appear mostly content to play out the string here.
80 min: Barca have made their second and third switches. Moments after Digne comes on for Pique, Alena enters for Rakitic.
78 min: Iniesta threads it to Paco, who really should have scored there. And it seems Luis Enrique is readying to make another sub.
75 min: Sevilla have made their third and final substitution as Jovetic comes on for Iborra.
73 min: Sevilla have been far more positive this half and appear even to have a nose for the net. A few chances over the last 10 minutes and they’ve just won a corner now. This attempt gets away from them and Barca are on the counter, but rather than press forward they sit back and keep possession in the middle third, forcing Sevilla to give chase.
71 min: Busquets sees yellow for a foul on Vitolo.
68 min: Messi threads a pass to Iniesta in the area, but he loses control. Sevilla counter rapidly and win a corner on the other end, but it’s cleared harmlessly.
64 min: Now Luis Enrique makes his first substitution of the match, inserting Paco for Suarez.
63 min: More signs of life from Sevilla as Sarabia directs a shot toward the goal, but it misses the target.
61 min: An hour down and this is looking like a clear-cut result for Barcelona. A chance for Sevilla here, but it’s swiftly broken up by Sergi.
58 min: Vitolo is shown yellow for a foul on Neymar. Rakitic is down, nursing his ankle after a fierce challenge. But he stays in as play resumes.
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56 min: Neymar leads the charge, carrying it across the halfway line with a gaggle of defenders in his wake, then passes it forward to Messi, who beats a defender and tries to center for ... Pique? Not sure what he’s doing that far up, but it’s cleared and Sevilla are on the counter.
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51 min: Another chance for Messi as Rico comes off his line, but he makes it back in time to parry away the Argentine’s flick. That said, there’s a sense of inevitability about his hat trick.
49 min: A wonderful give-and-go between Neymar and Iniesta is spoiled by Rico. That could have been Barcelona’s fourth. Speaking of Iniesta, he completed a preposterous 48 of 49 passes in the first half. That’s just filthy.
46 min: We’re under way in the second half and Sevilla have made two substitutions: Sarabia comes on for Nasri, while Kranevitter enters for Mercado.
Inhospitable hosts, Barcelona. They’re outshooting Sevilla (10 to two), they’ve created more chances (seven to one), they’ve had more possession (60% to 40%) and they’ve been more accurate with their passes (88% to 76%).
Half-time: Barcelona 3-0 Sevilla
... but enough genuflection! There’s the referee’s whistle and Sevilla have escaped the first half only down 3-nil.
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45 min: Iniesta to Neymar to Messi to Neymar and the Brazilian’s shot is parried out for a Barcelona corner. An example of how Barca’s failed scoring attempts can often have more aesthetic value than most other team’s actual goals ...
42 min: The rain is coming down hard now at the Camp Nou, a not so thinly veiled metaphor for the deluge Jorge Sampaoli’s men find themselves up against.
41 min: Neymar surges into the area and finds Messi, who nearly makes it a first-half hat trick but has his shot parried away.
38 min: Iborra shown yellow for a foul on Neymar.
36 min: Sevilla appear shell-shocked as Barcelona continue to press the attack, looking for a fourth before the half.
GOAL! Barcelona 3-0 Sevilla (Messi, 33 min)
A third goal in eight minutes for Barcelona and they already would appear to be out of sight. The hosts win a corner and Neymar’s effort is poorly cleared by Nico Pareja, which is to say it’s not cleared at all, and Messi is there to pound the volley home from 10 yards.
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GOAL! Barcelona 2-0 Sevilla (Messi, 28 min)
Possession is badly given away by Sevilla and Barcelona are on the counter through Rakitic, who gives to Neymar on the left flank, who plays it across to Suarez, who turns it into Messi and from point-blank range the finish is clinical. A devastating turn of events for the visitors.
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GOAL! Barcelona 1-0 Sevilla (Suárez, 25 min)
Another Barca foul, this one a high kick from Busquets, but possession quickly surrendered back to the hosts. And within the blink of an eye Barca are on the attack again, Messi sprinting down the right flank, outrunning one, two, three would-be defenders before dumping it into the area to Suarez, who shakes off a defender with improvisational flair and deposits a gorgeous overhead kick into the back of the net!
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24 min: The free kick is well delivered by Nasri into acres of space, but it’s poorly headed by Vitolo and sails harmlessly over the crossbar for a goal kick.
23 min: Iniesta whistled for a foul on Correa and Sevilla will have a free kick roughly 35 yards from goal.
20 min: A more even game now than 10 minutes ago, even if Barca continues to dominate possession. Sevilla win a foul on a clattering Busquets challenge near the halfway line, but they quickly surrender the ball and the hosts are on the move again.
16 min: It’s a golden chance for Sevilla when Mascherano bottles a challenge and N’Zonzi is through with only Ter Stegen to beat, but the keeper clears it for a corner.
14 min: Sevilla, forced into a back five early, have done better over the past six or seven minutes to stem the Barcelona tide and even commit more players forward. Still, nary a whiff of the Barcelona ghoal. Pique shown yellow for a foul, which will sideline him for the Malaga match this weekend.
10 min: Ten minutes down and it’s been all Barcelona early on, Messi’s ripper off the woodwork representing the gravest threat.
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8 min: Barcelona win their first corner. It’s taken by Neymar and drifts clear of the area, but Sevilla can’t manage to retain possession and it’s the hosts on the attack once more. Barca have monopolized possession through the first eight minutes, hardly allowing their opponent a moment to breathe.
6 min: Iniesta plays it through to Neymar, but his first touch is heavy and he can only scoop it near the touch line toward the goal, where it’s easily corralled by Sergio Rico.
4 min: And it’s a thunderbolt of a shot from Messi from the edge of the area that caroms off the underside of the bar to the groans of nearly 100,000 voices! Barcelona so sharp here in the early going and desperately unlucky to not be 1-0 ahead!
No player has hit the woodwork more times in #LaLiga this season than Lionel Messi (6).
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) April 5, 2017
So close. 💥 pic.twitter.com/GyqXB5aqLt
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2 min: Messi looks to dance around a pair of defenders from his deep-lying position. He’s pickpocketed on the edge of the area before moving into a shooting position, but Barcelona maintain possession and begin the attack again.
1 min: And we’re off! Barca attacking from left to right in traditional home kits, Sevilla from right to left in all-white strips with black socks. The hosts play it to their back three and look to build up from the rear.
The players are on the pitch. The crowd is buzzing. We’ll be under way any second now!
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The teams!
Here’s a look at today’s teams. As expected, Lionel Messi is back in the side after a suspension for his fifth booking of the season.
Barcelona
XI: Ter Stegen; Pique, Mascherano, Umtiti; Iniesta, Busquets, Rakitic; Messi; Sergi, Suarez, Neymar
Subs: Cillessen, Denis, Paco, Alba, Digne, Gomes, Aleñá
Sevilla
XI: Sergio Rico; Mariano, Mercado, Lenlet, Nico Pareja; Nzonzi, Escudero, Nasri; Iborra, Vitolo, Correa
Subs: Sori, Kranevitter, Carriço, Yedder, Jovetić, Sarabia, Vázquez
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Welcome to the Camp Nou for today’s La Liga match between Barcelona and Sevilla. Luis Enrique’s men have won eight of their last nine in all competitions and enter today’s match a scant two points adrift of Real Madrid in the La Liga table. Conversely, Sevilla have struggled since going out of the Champions League to Leicester City, losing to Atlético Madrid and drawing with Sporting Gijón to drop to fourth. They’ve won just one of their last six in all competitions: a 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao in La Liga on 2 March.
Lionel Messi is back from a suspension and should play behind Luis Suarez in an attacking midfield role with Enrique reverting to a 3-4-3 formation, the better to take advantage of Neymar’s scintillating form. You can read a bit more on the Brazilian here as we wait for the team sheets.
Bryan will be here shortly.
