Three talking points ahead of Barcelona vs Sevilla | La Liga MD 28 | OneFootball

Barcelona’s game against Sevilla from the first half of the season remains one of the lowest points in the team’s campaign so far, and possibly under Hansi Flick in general.

The Catalans, after all, were pasted by a 4-1 scoreline, with Sevilla walking away with a dominant win and leaving Barcelona red-faced.

Tomorrow afternoon, Barça will have a chance to exact revenge for the same as they play host to Sevilla at the Spotify Camp Nou.

Barça Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Barcelona vs Sevilla.

Gavi returns

The past few seasons have not been easy for Gavi, who has suffered from back-to-back major injuries and found himself out of the team’s dynamics.

After recovering from an ACL injury, he again suffered a knee injury in late August and had to undergo arthroscopic surgery to treat the same.

The surgical intervention placed his recovery period as a prolonged duration, with all signs pointing that he would only be fit for the business end of the ongoing campaign.

Indeed, the player did take over six months to complete his recovery, and the game against Sevilla is the first-time he officially returns to the squad.

Ahead of the game, Barcelona officially announced that Gavi has received the medical all-clear and is ready to start playing slowly once more. Needless to say, it comes as a massive boost for the player, the manager, and the dressing room.

The youngster’s return to the team’s dynamics will not be swift, especially given his recent history with serious injuries. Flick made it clear that he will phase out Gavi’s return over several weeks, just as he did with Marc Bernal.

Needless to say, the priority goal will be to ensure the player is available and fit for the long-term.

Eyes on the centre-forwards

Time to step up. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

Barcelona’s numbers in 2026 are not surprising, and the team has done well to keep scoring at close to 2.5 goals per game.

The distribution of goals, however, is uneven, with some players contributing far more than others. For Flick, the issue lies in the fact that those who are meant to contribute the most are not doing anywhere remotely close to what they should.

Lamine Yamal already has 15 goal contributions in 2026 alone, while Fermin Lopez has 14 to his name. Ironically, however, the others in the attack are nowhere close.

The centre-forwards, Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres, have struggled with both form and fitness this season and are nowhere close to as clinical as they should be.

The Polish striker has six goals in 2026, while Torres has just three, and both players together have just over half of Yamal’s lone contributions to goals.

Notably, even Raphinha has not been anything special in 2026 with nine goal contributions to his name. The number does not appear poor, but he has just one goal contribution in his last seven games for the club.

As the team heads into more decisive games, it will be crucial to have all forwards firing on all cylinders, and Flick will thus place emphasis on the likes of Raphinha, Lewandowski, and Torres finding their footing once more.

Focus on midweek

The game against Sevilla falls exactly between Barcelona’s two games against Newcastle United in the UEFA Champions League, and it is clear that the Catalans will have a part of their attention on the upcoming European game.

Playing at St James Park earlier this week, the Blaugrana did not dish out their best performance and even appeared set to lose 1-0 after Newcastle took a late lead.

A last-gasp penalty from Lamine Yamal, however, saw them get back on level terms and helped them take home a 1-1 result.

When they take on Newcastle United next week, they must win at any cost to progress in the competition, and it is thus crucial that key resources are rested for the game.

Not having Frenkie de Jong fit at this juncture arrives as a massive blow, but Flick must find a way to rest Pedri regardless. The likes of Marc Casado and Eric Garcia may thus start in midfield with Pedri and Marc Bernal rested.

In attack, Marcus Rashford merits a start on the left wing while Yamal is expected to continue starting on the right. In defence, Xavi Espart is rumoured to be in contention to start at right-back, which could allow Joao Cancelo a breather.