FC Barcelona need a miracle of sort to overcome their first leg deficit of 2-1 at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán stadium in Sevilla. Our last visit to the same stadium resulted in a 3-0 victory and a somewhat same result will see us through. But then the Barca side has not yet hit the form of last season side. To make matters worse this is a crunch match where we have to overturn a deficit. Last season we never faced any situation like this. So this will be a new test for the squad. There are some positives going into the game - Messi looks in top form, Iniesta looked wonderful in last game with his turn and twists and even over-shadowing Xavi by a great distance and Bojan did well and looks like improving with each game he starts. Add to this the fact that Xavi never have two bad games in a row, we will be able to pose a great challenge. The problem for Barca is the two away goals they have conceded. That means we have to play a near perfect game without conceding a single goal, a fact which will be so tough for Barca. Sevilla's recent home games did end up in defeats for the home side, but our away form this season also has been far from perfect.
Guardiola has included all the big players in the squad which will travel to Sevilla - Valdés, Pinto, Alves, Puyol, Piqué, Milito, Chygrynskiy, Abidal, Maxwell, Busquets, Jonathan, Thiago, Xavi, Iniesta, Bojan, Pedro, Henry, Ibrahimovic and Messi. Considering the importnace of the game, Guardiola might be tempted to go with a full strength starting eleven. Pinto and Bojan could be the only non-regulars to feature in tonight's match. The defense most probably would be made up of Alves, Pique, Puyol and Abidal. The midfield will be made up of Iniesta, Busquets and Xavi. Busquest needs to stay strong throughout the match. The forward line-up most probably will feature Bojan on the left, Ibra on the centre and Messi on the right. THis encounter is going to be the toughest of Barca's season so far. But I have a feeling that we will be able to overcome this one and proceed to rest of season in full throttle. The last time we faced possible elimination was when we faced Inter in Champions League - we did remarkebly well there. So I predict a 3-0 victory for Barca with Iniesta controlluing all the proceedings.