How will Barça line up against Sevilla?

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Barça face a tough road test looking to keep pace with the leaders

Barcelona secured a spot in the Copa del Rey semi-finals with a dominant win over Valencia on Thursday night and have very little time to get ready for their next challenge as the Catalans travel to Seville for a La Liga matchup against Sevilla at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium on Sunday night.

The Blaugrana will pay close attention to what happens in Saturday’s Madrid Derby between Real and Atlético, and if that ends in a draw Barça could find themselves just two points behind the leaders with a win against an inconsistent but still dangerous Sevilla side that always provides a tough test in front of their passionate home crowd.

Here’s how we think Hansi Flick will line up his troops for Sunday’s battle.

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Defense

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Flick made some rotations and used all five of his substitutions to give as much rest as possible to his best players in midweek, and with a free week ahead after the trip to Sevilla we should expect the coach to select a very strong team on Sunday.

Wojciech Szczesny will be in goal as he’s now the full-time starting keeper, and Ronald Araujo is expected back at center-back after being rested against Valencia. Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde will retain their full-back spots, and Pau Cubarsí will likely start ahead of Iñigo Martínez and Eric García as Araujo’s partner.

Midfield

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The battle between Frenkie de Jong and Marc Casadó is real as the two fight for the starting pivot spot in midfield, but Flick has made it clear he counts on both and will likely rotate them to have them fully fit and available. We expect Casadó to start this one, especially since De Jong played all 90 minutes on Thursday.

Pedri will look to continue his incredible run of form with another start, and the big question for this one is the status of Gavi, who was in concussion protocol and unable to play against Valencia and still might miss this one out as a precaution. Gavi will probably start if he’s cleared to play, but if he is absent then a few possibilities open up.

Attack

One of those possibilities is a front four of Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres with Raphinha playing as more of a number 10, which is something Flick used a ton earlier this season and is our prediction for his selection this weekend. We think that more attacking look will be a way to reward Ferran’s form, since it’s hard to sit a player who just scored a hat-trick and is enjoying perhaps his best run in a Barça shirt.

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Possible XI: Szczesny; Kounde, Araujo, Cubarsí, Balde; Casadó, Pedri; Yamal, Raphinha, Ferran; Lewandowski (4-2-3-1)

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How do you think Barcelona should line up against Sevilla? Let us know your thoughts, predictions and teams in the comments below!

Source: barcablaugranes.com