Barcelona will send departing manager Xavi off into the sunset at the conclusion of their clash with Sevilla on Sunday, their final La Liga game of the season.
The Blaugrana announced the legendary midfielder’s exit on Friday and have agreed a deal for former Bayern Munich and Germany boss Hansi Flick to take over in the summer.
Barca gave up their La Liga title to Real Madrid and exited the Champions League to Paris Saint-Germain in the knockout stages, with Xavi’s subsequent comments about the club’s economic turmoil annoying president Joan Laporta enough to show him the exit door.
Sevilla, meanwhile, salvaged last season’s poor domestic efforts by winning the Europa League but have been unable to complement their ordinary efforts this term with any silverware. They’re set for another bottom-half finish in La Liga after three losses in a row.
Here’s 90min’s preview of Sunday’s clash.
Sevilla vs Barcelona H2H Record (Last Five Games)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Sevilla |
Barcelona |
|---|---|
|
Athletic Club 2-0 Sevilla – 19/05/24 |
Barcelona 3-0 Rayo Vallecano – 19/05/24 |
|
Sevilla 0-1 Cadiz – 15/05/24 |
Almeria 0-2 Barcelona – 16/05/24 |
|
Villarreal 3-2 Sevilla – 11/05/24 |
Barcelona 2-0 Real Sociedad – 13/05/24 |
|
Sevilla 3-0 Granada – 05/05/24 |
Girona 4-2 Barcelona 04/05/24 |
|
Real Betis 1-1 Sevilla – 28/04/24 |
Barcelona 4-2 Valencia – 29/04/24 |
|
Country |
TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
|
United Kingdom |
Premier Sports Player, Premier Sports 1, LaLigaTV |
|
United States |
ESPN+, ESPN Deportes |
|
Canada |
TSN+ |
Sevilla have a number of players in the treatment room and subsequently unavailable for Sunday’s clash. Djibril Sow, Erik Lamela, Isaac Romero, Nemanja Gudelj, Oliver Torres and Suso are all sidelined and won’t feature.
However, Jesus Navas could return to the starting XI on the right, with World Cup winner Marcos Acuna providing width on the opposite flank.
Fellow veteran Sergio Ramos will take on his old Clasico rivals once again before a decision is made on his future at the club, with his contract expiring this summer.
Sevilla predicted lineup vs Barcelona (3-4-3): Nyland; Bade, Ramos, Salas; Navas, Soumare, Agoume, Acuna; En-Nesyri, Ocampos, Lukebakio.
Xavi will once again be without midfielders Frenkie de Jong and Gavi for his final outing as Barca boss, with Alejandro Balde also out of contention.
He’ll likely pick a similar XI to what’s been deployed in recent weeks, with space for young stars Pau Cubarsi, Fermin Lopez, Pedri and Lamine Yamal.
Speculation continues to swirl regarding Robert Lewandowski’s future in Catalonia. The Polish striker needs two goals on Sunday night to hit 20 in La Liga for the season.
Barcelona predicted lineup vs Sevilla (4-3-3): Ter Stegen; Kounde, Cubarsi, Araujo, Cancelo; Lopez, Christensen, Pedri; Yamal, Lewandowski, Raphinha.
The discourse surrounding Sunday’s game will focus on Xavi as he leads Barcelona out for one final time as manager.
Last season’s La Liga champions gave up their crown with a whimper this time around but their performances have improved in the second half of 2023/24.
A positive end to their departing manager’s spell in charge could be in store, especially with Sevilla far from the powerful side Europe has seen in recent years.
Prediction: Sevilla 2-3 Barcelona
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