Barcelona vs Sevilla: Xavi Hernandez is expected to make one change today, with Lewandowski leading the line.
Barcelona returns to La Liga action on Saturday Night Football when they travel to the picturesque region of Andalusia to face Sevilla at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.
This comes after a decisive victory over Real Valladolid at home to earn their first three points at home this season and a chaotic end to the summer transfer window with a wild Deadline Day.
The busiest transfer window in club history is now finished, and while it’s entertaining to read about and talk about rumors and acquisitions, the focus of a sport should always be what occurs on the field.
And before the World Cup, we’re about to start having some crazy uninterrupted fun on the field, which will make the club football schedule completely ridiculous over the next two months.
Barça will play either a La Liga or Champions League match every three days until the end of this month, when there will be a two-week international break. The crazy will go on until the middle of November.
As a result of the club’s intense efforts over the summer to give Xavi Hernández’s squad more depth, he will need to demonstrate the ability to switch up his lineup and tactical approach to keep his team motivated and competitive throughout each game.
However, there are some games that really demand the best team that is available, and this particular game falls into that category.
Sevilla remain one of the finest teams in Spain despite their extraordinarily sluggish start to the season, with only one point from their first three games and five goals conceded to teams that are expected to struggle against relegation, and Julen Lopetegui is too talented a coach to not correct this problem.
It won’t be easy to watch Jules Kounde wearing the Barça jersey so soon after his departure because the loss of the starting center-back duo of Diego Carlos and Kounde is a major contributing factor to the enormous defensive troubles.
However, Sevilla put a lot of effort into adding excellent midfielders and attackers in the final week of the transfer window, so this season we should notice a slight change from their customary defensive, low-scoring approach to a more expansive, exciting attacking side.
They will eventually find a solution to their defensive problems as well, but now is a perfect time for a Barça attack on fire to seize the initiative and send their most lethal attacking weapons to wreck havoc at the Pizjuán. Even though playing at Sevilla is never, ever simple, now is the ideal time to do so.
Barça must continue to triumph in order to keep pace with the championship contenders and to maintain their optimism going into the Champions League opening. Despite their difficulties, Sevilla should never be taken for granted. This ought to be a nice one. Ever.
POSSIBLE LINEUPS
Barcelona (4-3-3): Ter Stegen; Kounde, Araujo, Eric, Balde; Gavi, Busquets, Pedri; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Dembélé
Sevilla (4-3-3): Bono; Navas, Nianzou, Fernando, Telles; Jordán, Gudelj, Torres; Lamela, Mir, Gómez
