Sevilla FC have confirmed their starting lineup for their La Liga matchday seven clash against leaders FC Barcelona. Quique Sánchez Flores's side will aim to halt the Catalan club's perfect start of six wins from six games in a fixture at the Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán.
The club announced the team via its official account. "Our XI to face Barcelona," Sevilla Fútbol Club stated, listing the formation. Odysseas Vlachodimos starts in goal, behind a defensive line of Juanlu, Loïc Badé, Sergio Ramos and Marcos Acuña. Boubakary Soumaré and Óliver Torres are tasked with controlling midfield, with Lucas Ocampos and Dodi Lukebakio on the wings. The attacking duties fall to Youssef En-Nesyri and Rafa Mir.
Sevilla approach the game after a mixed week. Last weekend they secured an important 1-0 home win against Valencia, with a goal from Youssef En-Nesyri. However, in midweek, the team were eliminated from the Copa del Rey following a 1-0 defeat to Deportivo A Coruña. In the table, Sevilla sit fifth with 13 points from four wins, one draw and two losses in their opening seven matches. Their recent league form is strong, with three wins in their last four matches, leaving them just 5 points off the top.
Barcelona are the only team with a perfect record (18 points) and arrive after thrashing Racing Santander 7-2 in the cup, a match in which Raphinha scored a hat-trick. The Brazilian, alongside youngster Lamine Yamal, will be a major threat to the Sevilla defence. The Blaugrana are without midfielder Pedri, who misses out with a muscular issue.
Sevilla face this test with two significant absences in their squad. Right-back Jesús Navas and midfielder Joan Jordán are unavailable to the manager due to muscular injuries. Their absence will force adjustments in Quique Sánchez Flores's setup.
The match represents a stern examination of Sevilla's European ambitions. A positive result against the leaders could boost confidence ahead of a more favourable run of fixtures. After the international break, the team travels on October 12 to face Levante, who are currently battling near the relegation zone.
The report in full is at sports.yahoo.com
