Since Wednesday's defeat in Italy, the talk has been of a comeback. Now this may have specifically related to March 12, but the comeback actually begins tonight at home versus Sevilla. Players and staff will want to banish the un-inspirational 90 minutes from memory as soon as possible, to right the wrongs and prove to all, themselves included, that this FC Barcelona continues to mean business.
But will Tito Vilanova call for rotation? The advantage in the league is wide enough to possibly merit inclusion of some squad players. If a Thiago or Tello are trusted enough to be the principal backups for a Xavi and Pedro, then surely they must be trusted enough to deputize once in a while. Many would argue that Sevilla at home is the match of immediate least priority over the next 7 days.
Sevilla are 10th at the moment. With more defeats than wins or draws and more goals conceded than scored, this is not the Sevilla of 4-5 years ago anymore. And it has definitely not been their away form that has kept them alive. With 32 total league points, a mere 7 have been on their travels (1 W, 4 D, 7 D, -13 GD).
Yet, since January 13th the club has been under the new stewardship of Unai Emery. The ultra-demanding fans of Valencia grew tired of the constant 3rd places, but, achieve that 3rd place spot repeatedly he did, without fail. Emery is a legitimate manager capable of producing results with his obsessive attention to tactics and details with focus on fundamentally strong defending. In fact, since he took over, 8 matches ago (in all competitions), Sevilla have won 4, drawn 2 and lost 2. Emery won the games he 'should' (Granada, Rayo, Deportivo) but also suffered at the hands of both Real and Atlético Madrid.
Only Adriano is a definite no go this evening. As totalBarça has reported, Abidal is back to full training and has every chance of making the final 18 man squad. David Villa also trained without limitations.
Predicted Starting XI: Valdés; Alves – Piqué – Mascherano – Alba; Fàbregas – Busquets – Thiago; Tello – Messi – Villa
Twenty players took the high-speed AVE train to Barcelona. Campaña, Cala, Kondogbia, and Albero Moreno return from various forms of absence. Cicinho and veteran keeper Palop remain injured.
Full squad: Beto, Julián; Coke, Cala, Fazio, Botía, Fernando Navarro, Alberto Moreno; Medel, Maduro, Campaña, Kondogbia, Hervás, Navas, Manu, Rakitic, Stevanovic, Reyes, Negredo, Ba
That Sevilla formation may read 4-3-3 but it certainly will not of an attacking nature. Prepare for a tactical set-up from Emery to noticeably mirror AC Milan's performance Wednesday. The back four will constantly be protected by Medel, Maduro, and Kondogbia, while Navas and Reyes will be forced to track back to cover Alba and Alves, leaving Negredo upfront to bring down long balls and hold up play. That will, in defensive positions, mutate into a 4-5-1. Don't be surprised either if this match gets a little edgy, because tough man Medel will not hesitate to leave his impression, literally, on a few Barça legs.
The speed and inevitable space that will be left on the flanks by Alves and Alba will be where Emery sees his greatest opportunity to score by unleashing the pace and trickery of Reyes and Navas. Once again the match will be about patience and controlled aggression for FC Barcelona in the absence of space, but tonight there has to be quicker ball circulation, purposeful player penetration, and more attempts on goal. The team knows the best way to rid bad news is with good news, because any sort of egg laid tonight will only compound the pressure. There will be no complacency tonight and an early goal or not could be the difference between a comfortable win or nervy, narrow victory or even a draw.
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