Sevilla and Barcelona face each other amid poor spells of form

Barcelona and Sevilla have both struggled recently, raising the question of whether they peaked to early this season.

Sevilla were top of La Liga when they last played Barcelona in the league. They now languish in fourth place, 17 points behind the Catalans at the top of the table. Barca, however, are having troubles of their own, having drawn four of their last five games in all competitions. The trend for both teams is clear, and it isn’t positive.

Of course most teams would love to be in Barcelona’s position — top of the league, still in contention for both of the cups — but their talent and wealth means expectations are high. High enough that when they produce the sort of disjointed displays that have become the norm lately, tensions begin to rise.

Sevilla are in a strong position themselves, fourth in the league and into the Europa League last 16. Then again, given they looked like title challengers in the early part of the season, the drop off in form isn’t exactly encouraging. Los Hispalenses have won only four of their last 11 matches across all competitions and one of those was a 2-0 win over Barca in the Copa del Rey, in a tie they ultimately lost 6-3 on aggregate.

What, then, to make of the game between the two sides on Saturday?

The Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan is still a tough place to visit, and Barca’s form is indifferent at best.  Lionel Messi hasn’t been at his usual absurdly high level since quickly returning from a thigh injury that he picked up against Valencia, while Luis Suarez was an absolute disaster against Lyon. Philippe Coutinho is in a bad run of form and Ousmane Dembele has been quiet since returning from injury — Sevilla certainly have an opportunity to take advantage.

Both sides have an established formation they rarely shift away from. Pablo Machin prefers a 3-5-2 formation and Ernesto Valverde uses Barcelona’s traditional 4-3-3 setup, though it’s slightly lopsided due to Messi’s free role on the right. Barca are likely to have the majority of possession as they attempt to control proceedings through their short-passing style, whereas Sevilla will attempt to target the opposition’s weakness in transitions.

Sergio Escudero picked up an injury against Lazio, so Machin has to decide whether to replace him with another wing-back in Guilherme Arana or take a risk and use Quincy Promes. Playing a winger out of position on the same side as Messi is asking for trouble. Joris Gnagnon, Maxime Gonalons, Nolito and Aleix Vidal are all unavailable as well, although none of them were guaranteed starters.

Thomas Vermaelen, Jasper Cillessen, Rafinha and Arthur Melo are all out due to injury for Barcelona. Arthur is the main absentee due to how he recycles possession and aids buildup through his passing and positioning. They have more than enough depth to cover for these absentees though.

A win would give both sides a huge morale boost ahead of a key period where the fixtures start to pile up. Sevilla could put in a top performance, but this match is likely to be decided by whether Messi is in top form. He can decide games on his own, although a return to form from some of the other attackers would go a long way to helping him in this regard.