Sevilla - Barcelona: Saturday 2pm EST

By: Isaiah | March 2nd, 2007

[Update: the game is at 4pm EST, not 2 as the title says! I misread the schedule, sorry. The Valencia - Celta Vigo game is at 2pm EST. Sorry for any confusion.]

Oh me oh my it’s a number 1 visiting a number 2. Time for fireworks, I think. When the two teams met in the La Liga earlier this season, Barcelona ran out of the Camp Nou 3-1 winners with Ronaldinho netting a pair and Messi scoring the third. Who but Kanoute could ever have scored the Sevilla goal? That was way back on October 15 (a happy birthday weekend for me, it turned out!); they met once before in the season when the occasion was the UEFA SuperCup which Sevilla took well and truly: 0-3. Kanoute, of course, scored. Can you see where I’m going with this Kanoute thing? Yeah, he’s going to score. It’s what he does.

Let’s talk Barcelona lineups: Eto’o will be there, but Deco and Thuram will not. Also not making the trip are Belletti and Motta, but Edmilson, Ezquerro, and Sylvinho are on the roster. (Thanks to Sport for the information, though it is in Spanish.)

The roster for this game, again according to the above linked Sport article, is:

Keepers: Valdés y Jorquera
Defenders: Oleguer, Puyol, Márquez, Zambrotta, Gio, Sylvinho
Midfielders: Xavi, Iniesta, Edmílson
Forwards: Giuly, Messi, Eto’o, Gudjohnsen, Saviola, Ronaldinho y Ezquerro

The lineup I expect is this:

Valdés, Oleguer, Puyol, Márquez, Zambrotta, Xavi, Iniesta, Edmilson, Messi, Ronaldinho, Eto’o

I’ve never gotten a lineup exactly correct, but there’s a first time for everything and hopefully tomorrow is that time. The lineup Sevilla fields is always strong and worth looking at. Kanoute, like I said earlier, will score their goals, but he’s not their only good player: Alves is the up-and-comer of the year, really, since he was linked with anyone who was worth a damn over the past off-season and will probably be bought from Sevilla come June/July. He is, after all, a fantastic player. He’ll feature in the Copa America, no doubt, and that should only increase his price. That is, assuming Brasil don’t show up dysfunctional and ailing under Dunga. They very well might as they’ve slipped to the low, low depths of number 2 in the FIFA rankings. Regardless, he’s a great player and he’ll be a tough nut to crack for Barcelona both offensively and defensively. Kerzhakov is a good player who has already scored for his new team since being acquired in January (I called it the best move of January at the time, but I might be proved wrong by Ashley Young, Aston Villa’s new boy).

Here’s my prediction for the game: Sevilla 1 Barcelona 1. It’ll be a good game with both teams out to win it, but they’re both too good to give it to one or the other. Barcelona are in form, but they have to be looking towards Tuesday against Liverpool. And that, of course, could spell disaster like it did with Valencia.

Beware these two. And Escude is there too.