The Palanganas already have one foot in the final ahead of facing the Blaugrana for the 3rd time this season and the 2nd time in four days.
FC Barcelona need a memorable performance in order to turn the tie in their favor when they meet Sevilla in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final on Wednesday.
The hosts have it all to do to avoid an exit from the competition, having suffered a 2-0 defeat in the first leg last month.
Jules Kounde opened the scoring five minutes before the half-hour mark with a superb individual effort with Ivan Rakitic handing the second blow to his former side with a late strike in Andalusia.
Barcelona vs Sevilla Form
Ronald Koeman’s side have blown hot and cold this season. They are also at a heavy disadvantage. But they also have enough reasons to go into the match with their heads held high.
First of all, they have been undefeated at home in Copa del Rey for eight years now, with their last loss coming way back in February 2013.
Secondly, they are fresh from completely outplaying the upcoming opponents, having secured a straightforward 2-0 win in their La Liga meeting just on Saturday.
Furthermore, they have been in fine form lately, having lost only two of their previous 12 matches in all competitions.
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, they hold the greatest pedigree in the cup competition, having won La Copa a record 30 times.
Julen Lopetegui’s men, at the worst, just need to avoid losing by a three-goal margin in order to progress to the finals.
It isn’t at all a difficult task for Los Palanganas who are extremely strong at the back, having kept a clean sheet a remarkable eight times in their last 10 games.
Finding the net also isn’t a problem for them as they have scored in 16 of their 20 away matches in all competitions.
Prior to Saturday’s loss, the Europa League champions were on a six-game winning run in La Liga.
Barcelona vs Sevilla Head-to-head
Barcelona hold a slight advantage in the head-to-head record, with 37 of the total 58 meetings between the two sides going their way.
Barcelona vs Sevilla Team News
Ansu Fati is a long-term absentee for the Blaugrana and so are Philippe Coutinho and Sergi Roberto.
As for their opponents, Lucas Ocampos is missing while Marcos Acuna is also out injured.
Predicted Line-ups:
Barcelona vs Sevilla Latest Odds
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