- Sevilla hosts Barcelona on Tuesday night at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.
- The Rojoblancos are currently second in the standings, while Barca sits seventh.
- Both teams have massive injury problems.
The derby of La Liga takes place in Sevilla, where hosts meet with the fallen giant, Barcelona. Julen Lupetegui’s boys are pushing well through the season, currently holding second place in the standings. Meanwhile, Barca is outside the zone that leads to European competitions. And to be fair, we haven’t seen that in a while. Let’s say the last 15 years, maybe more.
Sevilla vs. Barcelona Schedule
- Where: Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, Sevilla, Spain
- When: December 21, Tuesday, 3:30 pm ET
- How to Watch: ESPN
Sevilla vs. Barcelona Odds
| Sevilla | Draw | Barca |
|---|---|---|
| +140 | +240 | +180 |
Sevilla’s Superb Defense
Lopetegui is known for his excellent tactics, and there aren’t too many head coaches in Europe with better knowledge in this area. Each of Sevilla’s games is very tough and difficult for the opponents because Rojoblancos play boring and dull football, with minimal chances for establishing a high-pace tempo.
That is why the team from Pizjuan has the best defense in the league, conceding just 12 goals in 17 matches. Knowing La Liga’s quality, this needs to be acknowledged. On the other side, the offense is doing its part of the job pretty well, with 28 goals scored.
The hosts will have massive problems with injuries. Several of their big-time contributors are ineligible for this derby. Lucas Ocampos is out, Gonzalo Montiel too, the same as Suso, Jesus Navas and Erik Lamela. All these guys are very, very important to Lopetegui.
Barcelona’s Struggles
Blaugrana didn’t have a single day without problems this year, and it appears that the trend continues. The five-time European champions are experiencing arguably the worst season in the past 15 years, and things aren’t going to be any better. Lots of injured players, youngsters thrown into the fire, and off-field issues negatively influence the results. And the standings.
This weekend, Xavi’s unit snapped a four-game winless skid against Elche at home, 3-2. It was a hard-fought victory delivered by the kids from the youth academy, who do have a massive talent, but are still young.
Absences massacred Barca’s roster. Depay, Braithwaite, Fati, dest, Pedri, Sergi Roberto, all these guys won’t play this Tuesday night, and we can’t describe how big of a handicap this is for Xavi.
Head to Head
This is the first meeting in this season. Last year’ we saw these two sides meeting four times, with Barcelona winning twice, Sevilla once and one game ending without winners.
Prediction and Pick
Sevilla is better at the moment. Even though Barcelona’s name still creates buzz in our ears, right now, the Catalonian powerhouse is not among top teams in Europe anymore, not even in Spain. That is the unpleasant truth for all their fans. And now comes even more frustrating news for them. Sevilla will win tomorrow. They are a better and more experienced team right now. Rojoblancos don’t have a higher ceiling, but they have more quality at this particular moment.
Pick: Sevilla +140
