Barcelona face a huge task to bounce back from defeat at the hands of old boss Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in midweek when the Spanish champions travel to high-flying Sevilla on Sunday.
Barca trail La Liga leaders Real Madrid by two points with Sevilla, who have won their last seven home games, just a point further adrift.
“We are coming into the game well,” said Sevilla coach Jorge Sampaoli after his side moved to the brink of qualifying for the Champions League last 16 with a 4-0 thrashing of Dinamo Zagreb.
“I don’t think losing will affect Barcelona. If we don’t have a perfect evening it will be a very difficult encounter.”
On top of their Champions League defeat in Manchester, Barca have sneaked past Valencia and Granada in their last two league outings as the absence of Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba and Andres Iniesta has taken its toll.
All three are expected to miss out once more at the Sanchez Pizjuan with Rafinha or Arda Turan replacing Andre Gomes the only change expected from the team that started at the Etihad Stadium.
“After the first half, especially after losing the second goal, we lost the attitude we normally have,” Barca goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen told radio station RAC1 on what Luis Enrique’s men need to improve for their trip to Seville.
Barca were the last visiting side to win at the Sanchez Pizjuan. However, a 2-0 win in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup in August came before Sevilla had bedded in many of their 11 summer signings.
Sevilla have injury problems of their own, though, with Samir Nasri a major doubt due to a hamstring problem that forced him to miss the midweek win.
Support InfoStride News' Credible Journalism: Only credible journalism can guarantee a fair, accountable and transparent society, including democracy and government. It involves a lot of efforts and money. We need your support. Click here to Donate