Barcelona coach Luis Enrique is “optimistic” of starting off a crucial run of five high-pressure games with victory over Sevilla on Saturday.
The Sevilla game is followed for the Spanish league leaders by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarter-final first leg next Wednesday, then Valencia in La Liga, the second leg against PSG, before a derby clash with Espanyol.
“The match with Sevilla will be very complicated but I’m optimistic in terms of the significance if this game to us,” Enrique told a press conference on Friday.
“I’m optimistic from what I see of the team, of the way it’s training, and I’m optimistic about being able to minimise (Sevilla’s) strengths and to make them suffer from our transitional play and our attacks.”
Barca, four points clear of Real Madrid, will be trying to do what no team has managed in La Liga in over a year – beat Sevilla at their Sanchez-Pizjuan stadium.
“They are one of the best teams in the important aspects of the game and that shows from their place in the table, they’re one of the most complicated teams to face at their ground after lots of games without defeat.”
Enrique can take heart from being able to lean on a virtually full squad with the return to full fitness of Jordi Alba after a groin problem.