SEVILLA-BARCELONA
Sampaoli says Messi "is in a league all of his own"
"They should have two Ballon d'Ors - one for Messi and one for everyone else. Since he emerged he's been head and shoulders above the rest", the Sevilla coach said.
Jorge Sampaoli was full of admiration for Leo Messi in Saturday's press conference. His Sevilla side must find a way of keeping the Barcelona forward quiet when the two teams meet at the Sánchez Pizjuán on Sunday night.
Waiting on Nasri
Injured players: "Pareja won't make it and we'll wait and see how Nasri is. All of the rest are fine".
Nasri: "He wants to play, but from what the medical report shows, perhaps it would be unwise to risk him. We'll wait until the last moment and see how he gets on in the last training session before making a decision".
Losing to Barça in the Supercup: "Since then Sevilla has evolved. We know all about the strengths and virtues of the rival we are up against, Barça are a side who can punish you at any moment".
System: "Considering the players we have out, we could play with four at the back but there are other variations open to us. We've been playing with two systems and both of the work well for us".
Words of praise: "I don't think we really deserve such praise. Self confidence can help and beating the top sides strengthens your position but we'll be meeting a rival who, will beat us if we are not at 100 per cent".
Barcelona: "They are an incredibly direct side who look for their frontmen. It will be important for us to defend with the ball, we can make them suffer if we can steal the ball of them. I don't think they are in a crisis, with the quality they have they are one of the top two or three teams in the world; and then they have Messi who makes them practically unstoppable".
No comparison
Messi: "They should make two Ballon d'Or awards, one for him and another for everyone else. Since he emerged he's been head and shoulders above the rest. It would be a mistake to make a comparison with someone who is beyond compare. The only way of stopping him is to try to enjoy no balls get to him. There's a plan to stop Barcelona and another to stop Leo".
Sevilla squad
Sergio Rico, Sirigu, Mariano, Carriço, Kranevitter, Vietto, Nasri, Iborra, Ben Yedder, Kiyotake, Nzonzi, Correa, Escudero, Ganso, Vitolo, Sarabia, Rami and Franco Vázquez.
