Can Sevilla win La Liga? Barcelona to provide stern title test

The last time Sevilla were top of La Liga after eight rounds was in 1945-46. And that season – in a 14-team competition featuring 26 games in total – they went on to win the title by a single point from Barcelona.

On Saturday, Sevilla travel to Barca for their ninth fixture of the league season in a top-of-the-table clash at Camp Nou – a point ahead of the Catalan club once again (although Alaves are now provisionally up to first place after beating Celta Vigo 1-0 on Friday). And belief is growing at the Sanchez Pizjuan following a shaky start to the season.

After a 4-1 win at Rayo Vallecano on the opening weekend, Sevilla went three games without a win. A 0-0 draw at Villarreal was followed by a disappointing defeat to Betis in the derby and then came a 2-0 loss at Getafe.

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There were rumbles of discontent among the fans as the side struggled to come to terms with the new wing-back system implemented by coach Pablo Machin. But not now. Since then, the Andalusians have won four matches in a row in La Liga and they are beginning to look like genuine contenders.

The turning point was an emphatic 6-2 win at Levante, which was followed by a spectacular 3-0 victory at home to Real Madrid. Then came a 3-1 success at Eibar and a 2-1 home win over Celta Vigo saw Machin’s men go top ahead of the international break.

Asked about that achievement after the game, the coach said: “I’m not bothered. I would like La Liga to finish right now!”

The Sevilla supporters will have agreed with that sentiment and there will be very few who remember the last time their team won the title.

Can they do it again? Recent form suggests it is possible, but the league is a marathon and squad strength can make the difference over a long season. In that respect, Sevilla still seem short – even with Maxime Gonalons, Sergio Escudero, Gabriel Mercado and Ibrahim Amadou to return from injury.

Top four and Champions League qualification is a realistic target, but expectations have already been exceeded and as the players continue to adapt to Machin’s methods, there should be further improvement. Meanwhile, both Barcelona and Real Madrid are struggling.

While Sevilla have won their last four, Barca have not claimed a league victory in that time and Saturday’s meeting at Camp Nou therefore represents a test for both sides.

However, Barca have quashed Sevilla’s hopes on a number of occasions in recent times, most recently in last season’s Copa del Rey final and again in the Spanish Supercopa at the start of the current campaign.

And Lionel Messi has put more goals past Sevilla than any other rival in his club career, with 31 goals in 34 games against the Andalusian side.

“There are possibilities when it comes to stopping Messi, but great players find a way to throw your plans out of the window,” Machin said. “We are looking at our options.”

On his side’s prospects on Saturday, the former Girona coach said: “We go there as leader and it’s not by chance. We’re in a good moment, we’re going to compete and we’ll have our opportunities. We will have to take them.”

A win at Camp Nou will see Sevilla stay top, while a draw could also be enough to send Machin's men back to first place after nine rounds – just under a quarter of the campaign.

And having already thrashed Real Madrid, a positive result against their bête noire on Saturday would really increase the Andalusians' belief in a title triumph next May.