As if it were a primary election, Barcelona and Seville will discuss, with the permission of Atlético de Madrid, which team is running as the main persecutor of the leader in the final stretch of the League. To win tonight in the Camp Nou (9:00 p.m., Movistar LaLiga), Barça would be second in the table with one game less than its direct rivals, but if it lost it would once again be at the limit of the positions that give access to the Champions League (follow the match live on As.com).
For all the conditions, the duel between Xavi and Lopetegui’s team is a key meeting that can define the landscape of what remains of the championship. However, the pre-game has been lived almost incognito.
It may be because of the stoppage for national teams, for the echo of 0-4 at the Bernabéu, due to injuries at Sevillabecause of the current situation at Barcelona, which is also holding an extraordinary assembly today… any reason can do, but the truth is that a great match like this has had little fanfare for how decisive it can be.
Both teams and both technicians respect each other a lot and dedicated the previous one to throwing mutual flowers. Look how Xavi is generous in his praise, but in the compliment contest before the match he won Lopetegui. “Barça is the best team in Europe at the moment, they are ready to win the Champions League tomorrow”.
It may be that the tactic of the Sevilla coach is to put the band-aid before the injury arrives, thinking that it really arrives with considerable casualties: without Acuña, Fernando, Papu, Delaney or Suso, it is clearly in a precarious situation.
At Barça there is an atmosphere of optimism that contrasts with that of Sevilla, but fifteen days of break put everyone in the starting box and the challenge for Barcelona fans is not to be enchanted by the laurels of the win over Madrid . Although it is most likely that Xavi will match, except for the entry of Alves, the team that thrashed in Chamartín for these primaries.