Barcelona heads into the match as the clear favorite: the team has won all six opening rounds of the Spanish league and is displaying incredible attacking form, having scored 28 goals during this stretch. In the last round, the Catalans routed Racing 7–2, with Rafinha netting a hat-trick and bringing his season tally to nine goals.
Despite the visitors' potent attack, Sevilla looks like a well-organized side this season. The Andalusians sit in fourth place with 13 points and have built up momentum; over six rounds, they have scored nine goals and conceded six, securing four victories. Last season, Sevilla defeated Barcelona 4–1 on home turf, proving the hosts are capable of putting up a real fight against even such a formidable opponent.
The Catalan defense has not been entirely watertight this season: they have conceded four goals in the last two rounds alone (two against Levante and two against Racing).
