Kickoff time: 12:15 am (Sunday) IST
Sevilla vs Barcelona has always produced some high scoring high intensity encounters and as the Catalans fly to the capital of Andalusia, we expect nothing short of a thriller.
It is the game of the weekend in the La Liga but there's not much riding on the game as it is only a matter of time before the still undefeated Blaugrana are declared champions for the 2017/18 campaign.
Meanwhile, all Sevilla had to fight for was the 4th spot and due to their poor run of results in the league, they are now 14 points off the last Champions League spot and their season is pretty much done and dusted except for in Europe.
Sevilla were expected to kick on from their terrific showing at the Theatre of Dreams, Old Trafford against Manchester United but they subsequently lost 2-1 to 12th placed Leganes away from home.
Lionel Messi, who missed out on the international friendlies for Argentina is back in training and the Blaugrana will be buoyed by his return even though whether or not he'll feature in the game will be decided by a late fitness test.
ter Stegen has also returned to training after missing out for Germany in their match vs Brazil after picking up a knock. However, it is unlikely that he will start against Sevilla.
Sergio Busquets has not returned after fracturing a toe in the Champions League clash against Chelsea and Lucas Digne is ruled out for 3 weeks. Both Nelson Semedo and Denis Suarez, however, are back in training and back in contention.
As for Sevilla, Pablo Sarabia who has been in good form will miss on the high-profile clash due to suspension. Meanwhile, Jesus Navas and Daniel Carrico are both working on their fitness in order to be available for the Saturday night game.
Key players
Lionel Messi will undoubtedly be Barcelona's key man given he is fit to feature for them. In his absence, we expect Iniesta to shoulder the responsibility and take charge of things in the centre.
As for Sevilla, Wissam Ben Yedder, the man with the goals will be crucial. His movement off the ball and ability to keep a steady head in front of goal will go a long way in determining Sevilla's chances against the league leaders.
