Sevilla host Barcelona.

Barcelona have enjoyed a record-breaking start to their La Liga title defense, and their quest to remain perfect before the first international break of the season concludes at Sevilla on Saturday.

The back-to-back La Liga champions have made the most of a kind run of fixtures to begin the campaign, with Racing Santander the latest to feel the full force of Hansi Flick’s attacking juggernaut. Their 7–2 midweek win means Barça have scored 33 times in seven outings across all competitions, smashing a 100-year record.

There’s simply no slowing this Barcelona team down, yet Sevilla may fancy their chances. Resurgent at the start of 2026–27, the hosts head into Saturday’s clash fourth in La Liga, having won four of their opening six games.

The once-perennial Europa League winners have endured four consecutive seasons in La Liga’s bottom half, and flirted with relegation in 2024–25. A 60-point haul last term represented just a five-point boost, but it seems as if Luis García Plaza may be the right man to lead the club going forward, despite signing only a short-term contract in March.

Creeping back towards the European spots has to be Sevilla’s ambition for the season. A club of this size has no business settling for mid-table comfort in a fairly weak La Liga.

Barcelona are returning to the site of one of their worst results of the Flick era. They were beaten 4–1 in Seville last season, which was their first La Liga defeat at the Pizjuán since 2015—an anomaly, it’d seem.

That heavy loss will be fresh in the memory of this ravenous group of players, who have shown no mercy at the start of the new season.

Striker-less or not, Barcelona are performing with the telepathic cohesion of the Harlem Globetrotters, and although Sevilla‘s underlying defensive numbers are encouraging, they haven’t yet encountered a frontline as destructive as Barça’s.

Prediction: Sevilla 1–3 Barcelona

The resurgent hosts are likely to be without defender Arouna Sangante until after the international break due to an ankle injury.

Lucas Stassin is dealing with a muscle issue, while Swiss international Rubén Vargas will be absent due to a knee injury.

22-year-old Miguel Sierra has stepped up at the start of the new season, with his two goals meaning he currently leads Sevilla’s La Liga scoring charts. Sierra was the match-winner against Deportivo de A Coruña last time out.

Sevilla’s midfield pairing of Lucien Agoumé and Youssouf Fofana has been key to their early success this term, with the former previously garnering transfer interest from Premier League champions Arsenal.

Sevilla predicted lineup vs. Barcelona (4-2-3-1): Vlachodimos; Iglesias, López, Salas, Suazo; Fofana, Agoumé; Sierra, Guridi, Correia; Ure.

Starting goalkeeper Joan García sustained a knee injury in Wednesday’s win, and is set to miss Saturday’s clash with Sevilla. He didn’t train on Friday, and veteran shot-stopper Wojciech Szczęsny is likely to replace him despite the summer arrival of Dominik Livaković.

Flick was able to withdraw Rodri and Pedri on the hour mark against Racing, so the pair should be relatively fresh for Saturday’s game.

Raphinha will continue to lead the visitors’ attack, and Flick will have to decide between Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi down the left-hand side. Both have been in sparkling form since joining the club, with Adeyemi particularly impressing against Racing.

Frenkie de Jong and Roony Bardghji are long-term absentees.

Barcelona predicted lineup vs. Sevilla (4-2-3-1): Szczęsny; Koundé, Cubarsí, Martín, Espart; Rodri, Pedri; Yamal, López, Gordon; Raphinha.

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