Two weeks have never felt longer than the recent international break has been for Barcelona fans.
Hooked on to the team’s visually beautiful style of play at last, watching the Catalans in action is no longer a burden as it was in recent years. In fact, fourteen days without Hansi Flick’s men on the field felt close to a punishment.
With club football finally back, Barcelona return to action against Sevilla on Sunday night at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys and the Blaugrana have notably not lost at home against the Seville-based side since 2010.
Garcia Pimienta’s side have struggled through the start of the new season and currently linger in 12th place with as many points after nine games. They have three wins, draws and losses apiece and have scored just nine goals so far.
Having not lost to Sevilla in eight games, Barcelona are the favourites tomorrow against Los Nervionenses but will look to do far more than just take three points.
Barça Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Barcelona vs Sevilla.
Blessings in abundance
It is not every day that Barcelona receives news of an injured player being ready to make a comeback to the field. During the ongoing injury crisis, such news is indeed music to the manager’s ears.
To receive a boost of three injured players back to complete fitness, thus, is a matter that demands special celebrations and comes as a big relief to Hansi Flick.
Ahead of the clash against Sevilla, the German coach has received a special triple boost with Fermin Lopez, Dani Olmo and Gavi all travelling with the squad.
The manager confirmed that all three players will be available in his pre-match press conference and thus has a good problem on his hands with up to six players competing for the starting role of an attacking midfielder.
Olmo and Fermin both return from relatively short-term injuries. While Olmo was on a goalscoring spree before his setback, the latter was a protagonist in Spain’s Olympic Gold medal heist.
Needless to say, the duo will be instrumental in the manager’s plans going forward given their form and could both make appearances off the bench on the night.
Gavi, meanwhile, returns to the squad after close to a year and has recovered from his ACL injury. His return to dynamics will be more cautious, but it will be special to see him back on the field tomorrow even if it is only for a few minutes.
Staying in the high
Barcelona are one of Europe’s most in-form teams at the moment and were flying high before the international break.
While two defeats do mar their record thus far, the front three have been on song and are rightfully Europe’s most lethal combination at the moment.
As the team returns to business after the fourteen-day hiatus, it is crucial that they maintain the momentum and pick up where they left off. After all, they need all the momentum they can gather for the two games that lie ahead.
The game against Sevilla tomorrow is the stepping stone to a hectic week ahead as Bayern Munich arrive in Monjuic days later to take on the Blaugrana in the UEFA Champions League.
After the Bavarian challenge, the Catalans travel to Santiago Bernabeu to take on Real Madrid. Two big tests thus stand in the next week and the results may well be season-defining.
Should Barcelona come out of the week with three wins, it would be an unprecedented confidence booster and may well set the tone for a historic campaign laden with trophies. Any slip-up, however, may allow doubts to creep in.
Can Flick’s men start off on the right note tomorrow? Only time will tell.
Changes in the starting XI
While Barcelona largely escaped the curse of the international break, it was not without its fair set of scares for the management.
Lamine Yamal left Spain’s first game limping and immediately left the national team camp citing that he could not continue. The club soon announced that he had muscular discomfort and that his recovery would dictate his return.
Robert Lewandowski, meanwhile, received a heavy blow in Poland’s clash against Croatia and initial pictures did not look promising as the player appeared to be in serious discomfort.
Both players have been declared fit and will be available for the game against Los Nervionenses. The question for Flick is how much he wishes to risk them with big games coming up.
The manager could thus consider rotations tomorrow with Ansu Fati as a good choice to replace Yamal. Lewandowski may also start on the bench with Pau Victor available to cover.
Tomorrow’s game may also see a first start for Frenkie de Jong who recently returned from injury and one can expect him to play alongside Marc Casado in midfield with Pedri playing as the mediapunta. The decision will depend on his fitness given the fresh niggle
