Prediction: FC Barcelona vs Sevilla

Verdict: Over 3.5 goals scored – yes

Best Odds: 19/20

Bookmaker: 888sport

For the first time this season, FC Barcelona have their backs against the wall. Los Blaugranas lost the first leg of their Copa del Rey quarterfinals tie against Sevilla (2-0) and things are quite simple. Either they turn things around and win by a three-goal margin, or they will be shockingly eliminated before the semifinals. The game will kick-off at 20.30 BST on Wednesday.

FC Barcelona

Barcelona continue to roll and are showing no can team can match up with them, at least in LaLiga. Ernesto Valverde’s men have been dominating the competition, and right now they sit at the top of the standings with a comfortable five-point lead over the second-placed Atletico Madrid. Los Blaugranas have won their previous eight league matches and right now it seems no Liga side can match up with their strong attack or their nasty defence. Barcelona lead the standings with 49 points (W15, D4, L2) but need to bounce back in the Copa del Rey following their 2-0 loss to Sevilla in the first leg of the quarterfinals last week. Valverde chose to rotate the side ahead of that contest, but that is not going to be the case anymore and he’s expected to field the best team available. Turning around a two-goal deficit is not an easy thing, especially considering the kind of opponent they will be up against. But if there’s one team that can do it, that’s Barcelona.

Team News

Barcelona will have three absentees entering this derby match.

Rafinha will miss for the remainder of the season with a knee injury. But the French duo of Samuel Umtiti (knee) and Ousmane Dembele (ankle) have also been ruled out.

Sevilla

Sevilla have been quite inconsistent of late and while they have been flowing in the Copa del Rey, their league campaign has been trending in the wrong direction for quite a while now. Even though Pablo Machin’s men remain in fourth place of the standings with a decent edge on the race to capture the final UEFA Champions League berth, their recent form has been less than ideal. Their 5-0 thrashing of Levante was a good result, but they previously had two draws and two losses in their previous four matches. But as stated before, they’ve looked impressive in the Copa del Rey, and the odds are in their favour looking towards a potential semi-final berth. That would require them to offer a strong defensive performance at Camp Nou, though. Will they be able to complete the upset, or will they allow Barca to mount another impressive comeback in front of their crowd?

Team News

Sevilla will be quite depleted entering this game. Up to FIVE players could end up missing the contest due to injury.

The list shows Nolito, Jesus Navas, Maxime Gonalons, Joris Gnagnon and Sergio Escudero.

Key Factors to Consider

• The recent form (in all competitions) favours Barcelona. Los Blaugranas have a W4, L1 mark, against Sevilla’s W2, L3.
• This will be the fourth meeting between both sides this season. The record shows two wins for Barcelona and one for Sevilla.
• Four of the last five matches between these two sides have had over 2.5 goals. Three of those have seen both sides scoring.
• Barcelona have scored over 1.5 goals in four of their last five matches. The lone exception was the defeat against Sevilla last week.
• The winner of this tie will go against the winner of the Betis vs Espanyol tie in the tournament’s semifinals.

Conclusion

Undoubtedly, this is going to be an open game. Barcelona will go all out on the attack as soon as the game begins, but that could leave spaces for Sevilla to exploit the counter. The jury is still out on who will win here, but it’s quite likely that we will see over 3.5 goals scored once it’s all said and done.

Verdict: Over 3.5 goals scored – yes

Best Odds: 19/20

Bookmaker: 888sport