CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE LIVE MATCH
When Barcelona hosts Sevilla in La Liga action on Sunday evening, they'll be going for their 10th consecutive victory overall.
Catalans lead Real Madrid by five points and are now in first position. Sevilla, in 13th place, are just two points above the relegation zone.
Barcelona's inability to advance to the final phase of the Champions League was a major setback for the club, but despite the European letdown, the squad has been very good for the most of this season.
Last month, Xavi's squad won the Spanish Super Cup, their first trophy of the 2022-23 season. They are still on the hunt for three more trophies, including the Europa League, where they will face Manchester United in a two-legged playoff later this month.
Barcelona is presently leading the La Liga standings by five points over second-placed Real Madrid after the same amount of games, and they will meet Real Madrid in the semifinals of the Copa del Rey (19).
Catalan giants FC Barcelona have won their past four league matches, against Atletico Madrid, Getafe, Girona, and Real Betis (2-1 on Wednesday night in Seville thanks to second-half goals from Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski).
Barcelona's next two league matches are against Sevilla and Villarreal, and then on February 16, they'll host Manchester United in the first leg of their Europa League knockout phase playoff.
With 23 points from 9 games at home, Xavi's squad leads La Liga, and they'll be hosting a Sevilla club that has won only 9 of their 29 away games this season.
Sevilla were towards the bottom of the standings not so long ago, but they have won three of their past four league games to rise to 13th place with 21 points.
Even though Jorge Sampaoli's team has won three of their previous four games, including their most recent 3-0 thrashing of Elche, the bottom of the league is still very much up for grabs.
In fact, Sevilla are currently just five points behind ninth-placed Athletic Bilbao, and there are only three points separating 18th-placed Cadiz and 11th-placed Almeria, so the situation may alter very rapidly.
Even though Los Nervionenses have finished in fourth place in each of the past three seasons, they are now 13 points behind fourth-placed Atletico Madrid and are unlikely to make up that deficit in the remaining months of the season and qualify for the Champions League.
Despite the fact that Sevilla no longer faces immediate relegation, they are just two points clear of 18th-placed Cadiz and are about to play the top team in the league.
Barcelona won 3-0 over Sevilla at Estadio Ramon earlier this season, and the Catalans have not lost to Sevilla in La Liga since October 2015. This is a huge challenge for the visitors.
