La Liga Matchweek 7 takes Barcelona to the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán on 19 September 2026 to face Sevilla, who sit fifth after their best start in nine years. Barcelona arrive top with a perfect six from six record and 28 league goals already banked, needing a seventh straight win to maintain their lead.
There is no meaningful head to head record between Luis García Plaza and Hansi Flick, with García Plaza only taking charge on 24 March 2026 after Matías Almeyda was removed, whereas Flick has been at Barcelona since summer 2024 and extended his contract in May 2026.
Sevilla arrive with 13 points from six matches, their last five league results running W-W-D-L-W: a 3-1 win over Athletic Bilbao on 22 August, a 1-3 defeat to Atlético Madrid on 29 August, a 1-1 draw with Espanyol on 6 September, then back to back 1-0 wins against Valencia on 11 September and Deportivo La Coruña on 16 September, two clean sheets to close out though neither of those sides test a back line the way Barcelona will.
Barcelona have scored 26 goals across their last five games. It's almost obscene. Those five read W-W-W-W-W across all competitions: a 5-2 win over Rayo Vallecano on 31 August, a 5-0 dismantling of Valencia on 6 September, a 5-1 win over Feyenoord in Europe on 9 September, a 4-2 league win over Levante on 13 September and a 7-2 thrashing of Racing Santander on 16 September.
Sevilla are without Ruben Vargas (parameniscitis, knee) and Arouna Sangante is a doubt with an ankle sprain, both absences falling in midfield and defence and leaving Miguel Sierra, Odisseas Vlachodimos and Gabriel Suazo with less cover around them than García Plaza would want. Barcelona are missing Frenkie de Jong (knee, out until October or November at the earliest) and Roony Bardghji (ACL surgery), with Joan García also doubtful with a knee problem of his own. Losing de Jong hurts their build up, though the squad is deep enough that it rarely shows.
Sevilla set up in a 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2 with goals spread across the squad rather than concentrated in one player and Sierra's two so far make him the most dangerous Sevilla player on the pitch. Suazo will have to track Raphinha for 90 minutes while Vlachodimos holds the back line together and the double pivot carries greater defensive responsibility without Vargas to screen in front of them, the kind of structural gap Barcelona's high press looks to exploit.
Barcelona's 4-3-3 has averaged close to 4.7 goals per game in La Liga, with Raphinha already on nine. The central midfielders have pushed higher and become more direct without de Jong and Lamine Yamal consistently drifts into central pockets to create overloads and pull defenders out of shape. Raphinha against Suazo is the duel that matters most here: if Sevilla cannot hold that flank, the centre backs get pulled wide, gaps appear centrally and Pedri's ability to arrive late into those spaces will determine whether Sevilla's double pivot can function without Vargas to screen in front of them.
Barcelona have won 28 of 39 meetings, with seven draws and four Sevilla wins and eight of the last ten have gone their way. Sevilla's last home win in this fixture was a 4-1 in October 2025, which García Plaza will be pointing to as proof it is possible.
Barcelona's set piece variety has grown under Flick, with Yamal and Raphinha delivering from wide while the side leans more on short corners and overloads to compensate for losing de Jong's aerial presence. Sevilla defend zonally and try to launch quickly but without Vargas, clearing the first ball and getting up the pitch will be harder. Barcelona played in Europe midweek and the schedule is relentless, though their squad has rotated well enough to absorb it.
Sevilla 1-4 Barcelona. A side averaging over four goals a game is facing a back line missing cover in two positions and against a defence potentially without both Vargas and Sangante, Raphinha and Yamal are going to be very difficult to contain for 90 minutes. Sevilla's best shot is a disciplined first half that keeps things close but it's hard to see them holding on past the hour.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
