Neymar is left all alone in the middle of the pitch and is able to charge forward before unleashing a rocket of a shot from 25 yards out, and it's one that Rico does well to parry away with a strong diving save.
90' +1
Vitolo gets a second yellow card and is sent off.
RED CARD! Vitolo kicks out at Neymar twice in five seconds and leaves the referee with no choice but to show him a second yellow card. Sevilla's day goes from bad to worse...
90'
The fourth official has indicated that there will be two minuts of added time.
88'
Vital interception by Escudero! Neymar darts into the right-hand side of the Sevilla penalty area and looks set to shoot, but Escudero throws his body in front of the Brazilian to stop him from testing Rico.
86'
It's all Barcelona at the moment as they comfortably hold on to the ball inside the Sevilla half of the pitch. The visitors have looked much better during the second half but haven't done enough to find a way back into the game, with the home side fully deserving to leave with all three points.
84'
Carles Aleñá gets yellow.
Alena commits a clumsy sliding challenge midway down the left wing and becomes the latest player to receive a yellow card.
83'
Neymar showcases beautiful skill deep down the left wing as he skips past two Sevilla players. He then cuts inside and picks out Alcacer, who quickly back-heels the ball back to Messi, but the Argentine is unable to get a shot away before being dispossessed by N'Zonzi.
81'
Poor decision-making by Jovetic! Barcelona are sloppy in possession in the middle of the pitch and allow Jovetic to charge towards the penalty area. He does well to reach the box before shooting, but his effort is awful and trickles wide of the goal.
80'
Carles Aleñá enters the game and replaces I. Rakitić.
Rakitic makes way to be replaced by youngster Carles Alena, who comes on for the final 10 minutes of the game.
79'
Two huge chances for Barcelona to wrap up the win! Alcacer charges through the disjointed Sevilla back line before latching on to a lovely pass from Iniesta. He breaks into the box and only has Rico to beat, but the goalkeeper pulls off a good save to deny the striker. The ball then bounces out to Rakitic, but the Croatian's follow-up shot loops over the top of the crossbar.
Minute
Description
78'
I. Rakitić gets yellow.
Rakitic is caught pulling the shirt of N'Zonzi as the midfielder tries to break forward, resulting in a booking that will see him suspended for Barcelona's next game.
77'
L. Digne enters the game and replaces Piqué.
Meanwhile, Barcelona have brought on Lucas Digne to replace Pique.
76'
S. Jovetić enters the game and replaces Iborra.
Sevilla have made their third and final change of the night, with Iborra making way for Stevan Jovetic.
75'
Mariano makes a nuisance for himself inside the Barcelona box, but Umtiti is there to dive in front of the ball to stop it from finding a white shirt in front of goal. The resulting corner is curled into the penalty area and looks set to result in a chance for the visitors, but this time it's Pique who can comfortably clear the danger.
73'
Sarabia and Escudero link up well deep down the left wing before the latter fires a low cross into the heart of the Barcelona penalty area. It's sent too near to Ter Stegen, however, and the goalkeeper is easily able to collect the ball.
71'
Sergio Busquets gets yellow.
Busquets charges into Vitolo and catches the Sevilla midfielder with a trailing leg, leaving the referee with no choice but to show him a yellow card.
69'
Sarabia charges towards the Barcelona box on a purposeful run before unleashing a rocket of a shot from 20 yards out, but Ter Stegen gets a strong hand on the ball to stop it from finding the back of the net.
68'
What a chance for Iniesta! Alcacer holds up the ball well inside the Sevilla penalty area before spinning and sending the ball back to Messi. The Argentine quickly pokes a lovely pass through the middle of the visitors' back line and towards Iniesta, but, despite his best efforts, the midfielder is unable to make contact with the ball from a few yards out.
67'
Sarabia twists round his marker on the edge of the Barcelona penalty area before poking a cross-cum-shot towards Correa at the far post, but, off balance, he's unable to either pick out the Argentine or test Ter Stegen, who easily collects the ball.
65'
Paco Alcácer enters the game and replaces L. Suárez.
Suarez receives a rousing round of applause from the home fans as he's replaced by Paco Alcacer.
64'
Sarabia hits the side-netting! The substitute has looked bright since coming on to the pitch, and the open nature of the game seems to be suiting him. He bursts into the box on another good run before trying to test Ter Stegen, but this time his sliced strike flies just past the near post.
63'
Sarabia goes close! Mariano is left in acres of space deep down the right flank and is able to plough forward on a great run. He cuts towards the box before sending the ball back to Sarabia, who then unleashes a thumping strike, but it's sent straight into the chest of Ter Stegen.
61'
Great defending by Roberto! Sevilla continue to cause Barcelona a few problems as they enjoy their best spell of the game, but Correa is unable to get a shot away from close range and loses out to a last-ditch sliding tackle from Roberto.
59'
Sarabia does well to muscle his way down the left flank as Sevilla push forward on a rare foray into the Barcelona half of the pitch, but he's put under good pressure by Javier Mascherano and the Argentine does well to poke the ball safely back to Ter Stegen.
57'
Vitolo gets yellow.
Ouch! Neymar makes a nuisance of himself in the middle of the pitch before being clattered into by a thumping challenge from Vitolo, who leaves the referee with no choice but to show him a yellow card.
56'
Neymar bursts through the middle of the pitch on a wonderful run as he easily skips past two Sevilla players. He then sets up Messi, who cuts towards the near post and tries to set up Pique, but Pareja sticks out a foot to stop the ball from finding the centre-back.
54'
Another determined Barcelona attacking move comes to an end and allows Sevilla to counter quickly down the left flank, but Pique is there to comfortably deal with the danger before poking the ball out for a throw-in.
52'
Almost a costly error by Rico! The goalkeeping falls asleep when trying to deal with a back pass and has it stolen from under his nose by Suarez. The striker then spins and picks out Messi, but the Argentine is unable to chip the ball into the back of the net with his quick strike.
50'
Messi twists and turns on the left-hand side of the Sevilla penalty area as he twists and turns his way towards the near post. He then tries to test Rico with a close-range strike but is unable to do so, as his low shot flies into the side-netting.
48'
Iniesta charges through the middle of the pitch before teeing up Neymar deep down the left wing. The Brazilian cuts inside and finds Iniesta again, who then quickly pokes a pass into the penalty area and back towards the number 11, but Rico is there to cut out the danger with some good goalkeeping.
46'
Pablo Sarabia enters the game and replaces S. Nasri.
M. Kranevitter enters the game and replaces G. Mercado.
We're underway once again!
Sevilla have made a double substitution as they try to find a way back into the game. The first player to come on is Matias Kranevitter, who replaces Gabriel Mercado.
And the second is Pablo Sarabia, who takes the place of Nasri, who had a poor first half.
45'
Messi receives the ball in a pocket of space just inside the box and quickly shoots, but his strike is closed down and deflects out for a corner. There isn't enough time to take it, however, as the referee blows his whistle to bring an end to the first half.
44'
Messi and Suarez, who have been excellent this evening, almost link up again inside the Sevilla penalty area as Barcelona search for a fourth goal, but a white shirt is just about able to dive in the way of the ball at the vital moment.
42'
After a really tough 15 minutes, Sevilla try to push forward on an attack down the right flank. They're unable to find a way through the sea of Barcelona players camped in front of them though, and the home side easily deal with the danger on the halfway line.
40'
Messi almost wraps up his hat-trick! Neymar causes all sorts of problems for Mariano as he easily skips past the wing-back and into the box. He then spins and cuts the ball back to Messi, who's close down quickly before he can test Rico with another shot on goal.
38'
Iborra gets yellow.
Vicente Iborra lashes out at Neymar from behind and catches the Brazilian halfway up his leg, resulting in a yellow card and a free-kick for Barcelona.
37'
Vital interception from Lenglet! Messi dances his way into the left-hand side of the Sevilla penalty area before poking a deft pass across the face of goal. It looks set to find Suarez, but Lenglet is just about able to blast the ball away before it can reach the Uruguayan.
35'
Barcelona pile plenty of bodies forward as they try to pile more misery on a Sevilla side that are really, really struggling. The attack fails to result in a chance on goal, however, and Vitolo counters quickly, but he's poor on the ball and loses it on the halfway line.
33'
L. Messi has scored a goal for Barcelona!
GOAL! Messi scores again! The resulting corner isn't dealt with by the Sevilla defence and bounces over to Messi, who fires a rocket of a shot past Rico and into the bottom right-hand corner of the net. Barcelona are running riot here!
32'
Suarez battles for the ball deep down the left wing before winning Barcelona a corner. Once again, Sevilla were caught completely out of position on the break, with the hosts overrunning them with ease.
30'
Sevilla are torn apart on the counter once again after losing the ball deep inside the Barcelona half of the pitch. This time it's Messi who drifts out to the left-hand side of the penalty area before chipping a cross over to Suarez, but Rico is there to collect the ball before it can find the striker.
28'
L. Messi has scored a goal for Barcelona! Assist by L. Suárez.
GOAL! It's 2-0! An attempted Sevilla attack comes to an end and Barcelona counter quickly. Rakitic charges forward and sets up Neymar, whose overhit low cross finds Suarez at the far post. The Uruguayan spins quickly and cuts the ball back to Messi, who then calmly taps a low shot through the legs of Rico and into the back of the net.
Suarez did really well to keep the move alive after being sent slightly wide by Neymar, but Sevilla really should have done better to deal with the danger. They've looked all over the place at the back.
27'
Sevilla push forward from the restart after good play from Nasri in the middle of the pitch. The Frenchman charges towards the Barcelona box before a cross is swung into the heart of the penalty area, but Umtiti gets a head on the ball at the vital moment.
25'
L. Suárez has scored a goal for Barcelona!
GOAL! Suarez fires Barcelona into the lead! A low cross is fired into the Sevilla penalty area and towards the near post, where Clement Lenglet scoops the ball up into the air. Suarez is there to pounce on the error and quickly unleashes a brilliant overhead kick from close range that leaves Rico with no chance whatsoever.
24'
After dealing with several Barcelona attacking moves, Sevilla are able to push forward on one of their own. They win themselves a free-kick that's whipped into the box and up to Vitolo, who can't make decent contact with the ball and sends it looping over the crossbar.
22'
Almost a great opportunity for Messi! A lovely cross-field pass flies over to the right-hand side of the Sevilla box and finds Roberto in a great position. The midfielder meets it well and quickly fires a volleyed cross towards Suarez, but it hits Messi on the head and bounces away from the Uruguayan.
21'
Poor from Suarez! Barcelona push forward once again and look set to cause Sevilla more problems inside the visitors' penalty area, but Suarez's attempted pass up to Neymar is completely overhit and rolls out for a goal-kick.
20'
Messi calmly jogs through the middle of the pitch before sending a wonderful through-ball into the Sevilla box and towards Rakitic. The midfielder makes a good run into the penalty area and does well to latch on to the ball, but as soon as he does, he's closed down by a group of white shirts and is immediately dispossessed.
18'
Rakitic goes close! A lovely swinging cross from Iniesta curls into the Sevilla penalty area and over to the far post, where it finds Rakitic. The Croatian does well to rise high above his marker before sending a looping header towards goal, but it sails just wide of its intended target.
16'
Big chance for Steven N'Zonzi! The Frenchman is somehow able to charge into the Barcelona penalty area after all of the home players momentarily fall asleep. They seem to be waiting for an offside flag that is never raised, allowing the midfielder to force Marc-Andre ter Stegen into making a save with his feet at the near post.
15'
Piqué gets yellow.
Joaquin Correa, who has seen little of the ball so far, is able to sprint down the right wing before being barged into by Gerard Pique, who receives the first yellow card of the game as a result. Sevilla are unable to make the free-kick count, however, and it fails to find a white shirt.
14'
Sevilla are finally able to string together a series of passes as they attempt to break forward, but a poor touch from Nasri gifts possession back to Barcelona. Umtiti charges down the left wing and tries to poke a pass into the penalty area, but it's slightly misplaced and the visitors' back line are just about able to deal with it.
12'
It's been a really tough opening 12 minutes for Sevilla, who have struggled to find a way outside of their own half of the pitch. The hosts are putting an incredible amount of pressure on them as they try to find an early lead to pile further misery on Sampaoli's stuttering side.
10'
Another penalty shout from the hosts! Barcelona win themselves a corner over on the right wing, and it's curled into a dangerous position and towards the head of Samuel Umtiti. The defender is unable to reach the ball and it bounces over to Samir Nasri, who seems to control it with an outstretched arm. Once again, the referee waves away the protests from the home players and allows play to continue.
8'
Barcelona appeal for a penalty! Messi sprints towards the box on a great run before setting up Suarez deep inside the penalty area. The striker meets the ball with his back to goal and tries to spin before shooting, but he quickly goes down after tangling with Nicolas Pareja. The Uruguayan immediately screams for a penalty, but the referee isn't at all interested and waves play on.
7'
Chance for Neymar! Luis Suarez cuts inside from the right wing before picking out Andres Iniesta, who is in a pocket of space just outside of the Sevilla box. The midfielder spins and then picks out Neymar with a lovely pass into the penalty area, but the Brazilian's first touch lets him down and means that his shot from a tight angle is easily saved by Rico.
5'
Lionel Messi hits the crossbar! Barcelona keep bossing possession before Messi unleashes a wonderful strike from 25 yards out. It beats Sergio Rico and looks set to find the back of the net, but it smashes off the woodwork before it's able to.
3'
Barcelona enjoy a positive start to the game as they move the ball around nicely deep inside the Sevilla half of the pitch. Ivan Rakitic and Sergi Roberto link up well deep over on the right wing beroe the latter chips a cross into the penalty area, but it's unable to find a team-mate and is comfortably defended.
1'
We're off! Sevilla get us underway, attacking from right to left.
Good evening and welcome to our live text commentary of today’s La Liga game between Barcelona and Sevilla at Camp Nou.
A third consecutive league title remains a possibility for Barcelona, who head into tonight’s big clash just two points behind leaders Real Madrid - albeit after having played one game more. A collapse of almighty proportions from Sevilla means that the race for the crown is now firmly between the two giants, and, like the last two seasons, it looks set to go right down to the wire.
Barcelona suffered a slight stumble against Deportivo de La Coruna three weeks ago on what was a frustrating night for the Blaugrana, but, since then, they've managed to return to the impressive form that saw them embark on a 19-game unbeaten run in La Liga. Valencia and Granada were both easily swept aside thanks to four-goal hauls in both outings, echoing the thrashings they handed to Sporting de Gijon and Celta de Vigo at the start of March.
Things couldn’t be more different for Sevilla, who head to the Catalan capital without a win in any of their previous four league outings. Gijon were the latest team to hold Jorge Sampaoli’s stuttering side to a goalless draw on the weekend, meaning that their last win in all competitions came over a month ago when Athletic Bilbao were narrowly beaten at home.
Sampaoli has hinted that he would be interested in replacing Luis Enrique in the Barcelona dugout next season, and the Argentine is rumoured to be on the shortlist for the job. That was before Sevilla’s recent slump, however, and in many ways his chances of being handed the reins rest on whether or not he can turn around his side’s fortunes, starting with a positive performance tonight.
November’s meeting between the two sides at the Sanchez Pizjuan ended in a narrow 2-1 victory for the visitors, and this fixture has certainly been dominated by Barcelona in recent years. Sevilla have only managed to beat the reigning champions once in the last 18 games between the two, with the last win in the league coming way back in January 2010.
There’s just over 15 minutes left to go until kick-off, so let’s have a look at how the two teams will be lining up this evening…
Barcelona substitutes: Cillessen, Digne, Alba, Alena, Denis Suarez, Gomes, Alcacer.
Barcelona XI (3-3-1-3): Ter Stegen; Mascherano, Pique, Umtiti; Rakitic, Busquets, Iniesta; Messi; Roberto, Luis Suarez, Neymar.
Sevilla substitutes: Soria, Sarabia, Vazquez, Kranevitter, Carrico, Jovetic, Ben Yedder.
Luis Enrique has decided to make four changes to the Barcelona side that started the win against Granada on the weekend, with Gerard Pique, Samuel Umtiti, Andres Iniesta and the previously suspended Lionel Messi coming into the starting line-up to replace Jeremy Mathieu, Jordi Alba, Andre Gomes and Rafinha, respectively.
Meanwhile, Sevilla boss Jorge Sampaoli has made three alterations to the team that featured in their last outing, with Pablo Sarabia, Matias Kranevitter and Wissam Ben Yedder making way for Gabriel Mercado, Sergio Escudero and Vicente Iborra.
The two sides are making their way out onto the pitch, with just a few minutes to go until kick-off.
HALF-TIME: BARCELONA 3-0 SEVILLA
So far, so good for Barcelona, who ran riot during the first half and have all but wrapped up the win with 45 minutes left to play. They've continually caused problems for Sevilla's struggling back line, which has looked incredibly open throughout. At the other end, the likes of Correa and Vitolo have seen little of the ball in advanced areas, with only N'Zonzi giving Ter Stegen half a scare.
The two teams are making their way back out on to the pitch ahead of the start of the second half.
FULL-TIME: BARCELONA 3-0 SEVILLA
Barcelona took their foot off the pedal slightly during the second half, which allowed Sevilla to come back into the game. Despite that, the visitors struggled to cause too many problems for the hosts, who, thanks to an excellent first half, deservedly lead with three much-needed points. As things stand, they currently sit top of the table, albeit with little over five minutes to go until Real Madrid's game against Leganes gets underway.
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