Sevilla vs Barcelona
LaLiga 2018-19
Venue: Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium
Date: Saturday, 23 February 2019
Kick-off time: 3:15pm GMT
Barcelona are back in domestic action on Saturday afternoon as the Liga leaders face a tough trip to Sevilla.
Real Madrid's shock 2-1 home defeat to Girona last weekend has allowed Barca to open up a seven-point lead in the title race, with Atletico now their main challengers.
Barca face a huge El Clasico double-header next week with two trips to the Spanish capital to face Real in their Copa del Rey semi-final second leg (Wednesday) before Saturday's La Liga clash.
While Barca are sitting pretty in LaLiga, Ernesto Valverde will not want to drop points before a difficult run of fixtures which could define their season - though an away test against fourth-placed Sevilla will be no picnic.
Barcelona team news
The big call will be whether to allow Lionel Messi a break given that Barca head to Madrid twice next week.
The upcoming Clasicos may also be an excuse for Valverde to rest Luis Suarez given the striker's poor form of late.
Arthur and Jasper Cillessen were on the training pitch on Thursday as they trained away from the squad on the road to recovery from their respective injuries.
Score prediction: Sevilla 1-1 Barcelona
With two matches against Real Madrid in the space of four days next week, Valverde will have to rely on every member of his squad in the coming days.
If Valverde allows the likes of Luis Surez and Messi a rest, Barca will likely stay tight and take a draw given their seven-point advantage over Atletico, with a view to being full-strength for both games against Real.
However, if Barca's stars are rested, Sevilla could smell blood - and they will be out for a win with the race for fourth place still tight.
Betting tips via Betfair | UK users only | Subject to change
Match odds
- Sevilla to win: 13/5
- Draw: 29/10
- Barca to win: 19/20
First goalscorer odds
- Lionel Messi: 11/4
- Luis Suarez: 10/3
- Philippe Coutinho: 4/1
- Wissam Ben Yedder: 9/2
Click here to find the latest match odds and place a bet.
Sevilla vs Barcelona tickets
For ticket info, click here for Sevilla's website.
TV channel and live stream online coverage
The match will not be televised live in the UK due to TV blackout rules, which prohibit games being screened between 2:45pm and 5:15pm on a Saturday.
You can follow all the action with Standard Sport's LIVE blog with Ben Hayward.
USA | BeIN Sports | Los Angeles (7:15am) | New York (10:15am)
Head to head history and results
Sevilla and Barca have enjoyed some lively games already this season.
Barca won the Supercopa de Espana 2-1 back in August, and also beat Sevilla 2-0 at Camp Nou in LaLiga in October.
Barca also came back from a 2-0 Copa del Rey first-leg defeat to crush Sevilla 6-1 at home earlier this year.
