Sevilla and Barcelona prepare for first final in five days

After appearing to be over for some months, there’s a title race well and truly on now in Spain, and an important chapter in its story will be played out this afternoon at the Sanchez-Pizjuan. Sevilla host Barcelona in La Liga, both sides third and fourth respectively in the table behind Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid. They’ll also lock horns in the forthcoming Copa del Rey semi-final second leg this Wednesday, so it’s set to be an eventful few days according to a report in Mundo Deportivo.

Sevilla and Barcelona have 48 and 50 points respectively, and both will be looking to put pressure on Atletico who are on 55 and Madrid who are on 42. The former travel to Villarreal tomorrow evening while the latter play Real Sociedad on Monday night. The game is a real challenge for Barcelona, not just because of Sevilla’s strength but also because of their own poor record against the top teams this season. It could also be an important marker to lay down ahead of the Copa semi-final second leg.

Clashes between the Catalans and the Andalusians smile upon Julen Lopetegui’s Sevilla. They drew 1-1 at Camp Nou in La Liga before winning 2-0 in the first leg of the Copa semi-final in Seville, and are in good form. They have six wins on the bounce to their name, with eleven wins and three draws out of the last 14 games, or 36 points out of 42. Tokens of encouragement for Barcelona, however, include the reappearance of Ronald Araujo after injury and the presence of the in-form Pichichi, Lionel Messi.