Barcelona will hope to avenge a loss to Sevilla earlier in the season when the LaLiga leaders host Matías Almeyda’s men at Camp Nou on Sunday.
The Blaugrana’s 4-1 defeat at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan in October is one of only four Barca have suffered in the league this campaign.
Hansi Flick’s side are four points ahead of arch rivals Real Madrid in the title race, but that gap could be cut to one by the time Sunday’s clash kicks off.
Madrid face Elche on Saturday in a game in which they will be widely expected to prevail, and Barca will know they will not be in for an easy ride against Sevilla.
Sevilla have lost just one of their last eight games, though five of those games have ended in draws.
Almeyda’s side have not failed to score since a 1-0 loss to Celta Vigo on January 12, and the visitors will see a depleted Barca defence as vulnerable.
Barca were fortunate not to concede more than once in their 1-1 Champions League draw with Newcastle United on Tuesday. Flick’s men were second best for most of a pulsating last 16 first-leg encounter at St James’ Park and needed a penalty from Lamine Yamal with the last kick of the game to salvage a draw.
Yamal missed training on Thursday due to illness but was back on Friday. However, with the return leg against Newcastle taking place three days later, it will be interesting to see how much Flick rotates as he bids to keep his stars fresh for the biggest game of their European season so far.
Team news for Barcelona v Sevilla
Barca remain without full-backs Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde due to hamstring problems, while Frenkie de Jong is out with the same injury. Andreas Christensen (knee) is also unavailable.
Yamal appears likely to feature after his return to training. Meanwhile, Eric Garcia should be able to return from the muscle issue that kept him out of the Newcastle game.
Peque Fernandez (ankle) and Marcao (knee) are out for Sevilla, and late fitness tests will be required for Ruben Vargas and Neal Maupay (both hamstring). Gabriel Suazo is back from suspension.
