Sevilla

With next season's Champions League places decided, all roads now lead to Turin for Sevilla, where the Andalusian club will be looking to become only the fourth club to win the UEFA Cup/Europa League for the third time. 

It would also be the first piece of silverware to find its way into the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan since the club won the Copa del Rey in 2010. 

Sevilla emerged victorious from both previous visits to European finals with back-to-back UEFA Cup triumphs in 2006 and 2007. “Finals,” says the club's prolific Colombian striker, Carlos Bacca, "are for winning," as Stefan Coerts of Goal.com noted.

Standing in their way are the mighty Benfica, who were one of Europe’s truly great sides in the early 1960s—winning successive European Cups.

But the Portuguese club have been Europe’s serial "nearly men" ever since, finishing runners-up in the European Cup/Champions League five times and twice in the UEFA Cup/Europa League, including last year, when they lost to the last kick of the game against Chelsea.

Despite injury and suspensions, which have left Benfica short of five first-team players, the Portuguese champions go into the final as slight favourites, although according to Sevilla legend Rafa Paz, who made no fewer than 340 appearances for the club, the match is too close to call. 

“I see it as absolutely 50-50, and the fact is I think the side that wins these type of games is the one that makes the less mistakes,” he tells my sources. 

“Anything can happen in football. Against Valencia we looked totally out of it, but scored with the last move of the game. People also forget that against Betis it looked like we would not go any further, but we did.

“Sometimes in football, your name is on the trophy and you don’t why, but it is. These games are always different, one-off occasions with no chance to correct mistakes in a second leg. Anything can happen."

Up front, Sevilla could start with their leading goalscorer in the competition, Kevin Gameiro, despite his injury problems, although their real talisman is the brilliant Swiss-born Croatian playmaker, Ivan Rakitic, who has been attracting admiring glances from the world’s top clubs since moving to Sevilla from Schalke in 2011. 

With a constant need to sell its prized assets to balance the books, Rakitic's days at the club look numbered, although, for the time being, non-stop questions over his future are all batted away by the player as he focuses on the Europa League final. 

Harry Redknapp, meanwhile, could be forgiven for thinking that Cameroon international Stephane Mbia, who is on loan to Sevilla, has an identical twin brother, because the one playing for the Spanish club who scored the last-gasp goal to put them into the final bears no playing resemblance to the poor performer who turned out 29 times for QPR as they were relegated from the Premier League last season. 

Victory for the La Liga side would be a fitting tribute to the memory of Antonio Puerta, who lived and died for his beloved Sevilla, the club he had represented from the age of eight. It was his goal against Schalke in 2006 that earned the club a place in their first-ever European final.

On 25 August 2007, just over two months after winning the Spanish Cup and three months after victory in the UEFA Cup final against Espanyol, Puerta suffered multiple heart attacks in the match against Getafe at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.

He died in hospital three days later, leaving a girlfriend who was carrying his son—a child he would never see. He was just 22.

When he died, Reuters reported the then-president of the club, Jose Maria del Nido as saying: “From now on, Sevilla will be invincible because the spirit of Antonio Puerta will be with us always. Our opponents had better start denouncing us because from now on we will be playing with 12 players.”

With his help from another place, perhaps, as Rafa Paz says, Sevilla’s name is on the cup. For the memory of Antonio and the now six-year-old Aitor Antonio Puerta Roldan, I hope so.

Although the second tier of European club competition is often derided as meaningless, or an elongated process to progress to the latter stages, Wednesday’s Europa League final is a worthy showpiece and shows that not all of the continent’s crop regard it as a mere afterthought.

Spanish side Sevilla face newly crowned Portuguese champions Benfica in Turin with the Andalusian outfit hoping to win back the silverware they previously claimed in consecutive years between 2006 and 2007, while Jorge Jesus’ team are plotting to end the Bela Guttman curse that has haunted the club for over half a century.

When the Hungarian manager left Benfica following a contract dispute in 1962, his parting words that the club would not win another European title for 100 years have rung true to this day, with a woeful seven defeats in seven finals an unwanted record that the club are desperate to dispel.

Meanwhile, Sevilla crept into the final following a dramatic finish to their semi-final against Valencia but have secured a return to the competition next season with a fifth- or sixth-placed finish in La Liga.

With both sides desperate for victory yet employing varying approaches, there will be numerous fiercely competitive personal duels on show across the park.

Benfica are the clear favourites given the manner in which they dispatched favourites Juventus in the previous round, but with Sevilla relishing their status as underdogs, they will be a dangerous animal to contend with.

Squawka takes a look at a trio of battles that could be the difference between victory and glory or despair and defeat.

Carlos Bacca vs. Ezequiel Garay

The Colombian striker has played his way into contention for Jose Pekerman’s World Cup squad, with Radamel Falcao’s injury likely to open a route into the team for the 27-year-old given his impressive performances for Sevilla throughout the campaign.

Touted as a possible replacement for Diego Costa at Atletico Madrid, Bacca’s form has not gone unnoticed following his move to Spain from Club Brugge last summer, and with 14 strikes in La Liga only Kevin Gameiro can lay claim to a greater goal tally for Sevilla.

The forward has also carried his form onto the European stage with four goals in 12 appearances, including crucial strikes in both the quarter and semi-final stage. With a 63 percent shot accuracy and 21.1 percent conversion rate, he will need to be on top form if he is to negotiate a route past Benfica’s outstanding rear guard that has conceded just four goals in seven games in the competition.

That impressive feat is owed in part to Argentinian defender Ezequiel Garay. The 27-year-old has recovered from his uninspiring stint at Real Madrid and rebuilt his reputation at the Estadio da Luz to become one of Europe’s most sought-after defenders.

Entering his peak, the centre-back is accomplished on the ball but also tough in the tackle with a 67 percent duel success rate in the air. He should be able to cope with Bacca’s minimal presence in the air, but Sevilla will be unlikely to throw balls up to the Colombian. Instead, he will need to be nigh on perfect positionally and work in tandem with partner Luisao to shut out Sevilla’s front line.

However, although his defensive performance will be integral to Benfica’s night, he also carries a significant goal threat at set pieces and might just pop up to be an unlikely scorer, as often proves the case with defenders on the big occasion.

Stephane Mbia vs. Nicolas Gaitan

The Cameroon international has often been deployed as a defensive midfielder following his loan move from Championship side Queens Park Rangers despite being capable at centre-back, too. Having finally earned a move to England’s top flight, Mbia impressed during his spell in the Premier League only for the West London side to fail to escape relegation.

Unwilling to drop down a division, the move to Spain has worked out well for the 27-year-old, but he has been used sparingly in Europe with a total of just seven appearances.

Competitive and combatant, his towering presence helps to shield the back four from danger, but he can also carry the ball well when required, too, on the same note. Driving runs are difficult to derail, and his athleticism in the centre of the park could swing the pendulum in his side’s favour.

His action areas in the second leg of the semi-final against Sevilla display his ability to hold and sit deep, helping defensively if the team is under pressure, which will lead him into a direct duel with tricky midfielder Gaitan.

The Argentine can play in a variety of roles, and Mbia will need to follow him closely and track his movement between the lines if he is to stifle Benfica’s most creative force. The 26-year-old, who has long been linked with a lucrative transfer to one of Europe’s heavyweights, has created 11 chances in the competition, although he is yet to be credited with an assist.

Crisp and incisive while also capable of a piece of magic to unlock a defence, Gaitan can control the game if he is given the necessary space and time.

Expect Mbia to attempt to dominate the duel physically, as Gaitan is unlikely to be willing to be drawn into many challenges as he is more likely to ride one or skip around an onrushing defender rather than contest a 50-50.

Ivan Rakitic vs. Ruben Amorim

Benfica have a significantly stronger squad, which you would expect as they began the season in the Champions League before exiting the tournament at the group stages, narrowly missing out to Greek side Olympiakos.

However, their route to the final has left them light in central midfield following a number of avoidable problems. Enzo Perez picked up two yellow cards in the semi-final second leg, while a pair of wingers have also been ruled out through suspension. Silvio and Fejsa will both be absentees, but Ruben Amorim is the man likely to be charged with containing the creative Croatian Ivan Rakitic.

The versatile 29-year-old Portuguese midfielder Amorim has made six appearances in the tournament and boasts an uninspiring duel success rate, but with options depleted it is vital that he answers his manager’s call in a crucial moment for the club. Last year’s defeat to Chelsea was a crushing blow and Amorim, who has been with the club side 2008, will be keen to avenge the demons of last season.

He is capable across the centre of the park in a defensive or attacking role, but his positional sense and ability to stifle danger will be his most telling contribution in Turin. In a similar respect to Mbia, his opposite number, he will need to drive forward and push his team forward on times but also manage when he pushes on and when he hold his run, as he will be punished by Rakitic.

The 26-year-old is a real talent and possesses an outstanding knack of being able to pick a pass. With a huge 27 chances created thus far, he is the spark that can carve an opportunity out of nothing for Unai Emery’s side. Following his move from Schalke 04 in 2011, Rakitic has earned a reputation as one of the continent’s best playmakers outside of a so-called big club, and will relish his chance to shine on such a big stage.

Set to star at the World Cup with his national side, a telling contribution could lead to a transfer at the end of the season with a number of clubs reportedly interested in his signature, according to Radio Cadena COPE (via Sky Sports). However, do not expect him to be greedy or unfocused on the task at hand: If he can force his way into the game and receive plenty of the ball, Benfica’s defence will be tested, at the very least.

While he has scored a solitary strike in the Europa League, domestically he has amassed a total of 12 goals, so expect him to pull the trigger if an opportunity opens up.

He has an excellent understanding of forward Bacca’s movement, and if the game is stretched, his ability to find space that others cannot envisage could provide the chance that wins the match for his side.

All football stats courtesy of Squawka.com.

There are few teams across Europe right now in better form than Sevilla.

On Thursday night they welcomed Valencia into the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan for an all-Spanish Europa League semi-final, winning 2-0 and placing one foot in the final in Turin in the process.

It was their fifth consecutive win in all competitions, and they have now, somewhat impressively, won 13 of their last 16 matches under the guidance of former Valencia boss Unai Emery.

That run has included a win against Real Madrid, and they will head to Athletic Bilbao’s San Mames stadium on Sunday knowing that three points will draw them level with the Basque side in the fourth and final Champions League qualification spot.

That didn’t seem to be on the players’ minds on Thursday as they swept away Valencia.

The visitors did threaten late on—Beto saved smartly from Jonas and Eduardo Vargas hit the bar—but look unlikely to be lining up in the final in May having failed to register an away goal.

Stephane Mbia, admittedly from an offside position, intelligently flicked home Sevilla’s opener, becoming their 15th different scorer in Europe this season, but it was the second goalscorer, Carlos Bacca, who once again caught the eye.

Signed from Club Brugge for €7 million last summer, the Colombian has emerged as a strong candidate for signing of the season in Spain.

He has scored 14 goals in La Liga, four more in the Europa League and is presumably already under the microscope of bigger European clubs.

If that is the case, it will be a familiar story for the fans of the club who have become accustomed to seeing their best players depart in recent years: Sergio Ramos, Dani Alves, Jesus Navas and Alvaro Negredo spring to mind.

Carlos Arturo Bacca Ahumada, to name him fully, does have a release clause of €30m, though, so any side that does fancy making a move for him will have to pay a fair amount.

It’s a remarkable thought really when you consider that, per Sid Lowe’s recent Guardian article, Bacca was still working as a bus conductor in his native Colombia back in 2007; in 2014, taking into account Radamel Falcao’s injury, he could be leading his country at a World Cup.

The 27-year-old doesn’t initially look particularly fast, but when he gets going he can move quickly. His strength is impressive as well, and the scoring obviously helps.

There is more to Sevilla than just Bacca's brilliance, though, something which was once again evident in Thursday’s win.

Federico Fazio and Nico Pareja, the two central defenders, were outstanding for the hosts when Los Che tried to attack. Mbia played his part in midfield, and Ivan Rakitic, as ever, was wonderful on the ball and weighted two lovely passes to Bacca during the 90 minutes.

It’s possible that Juventus, who lost 2-1 at Benfica in their first leg, will be waiting for Sevilla in the final at the Italians' own ground.

Daunting would be one word to describe the possibility of facing the runaway Serie A leaders in their own backyard, but you always know you have a chance when you have a goal threat.

Bacca is that goal threat.

Here is a scouting report on Sevilla's 27-year-old Colombian international centre-forward Carlos Bacca, who is on his way to becoming one of La Liga's best strikers. 

Brief Summary 

Bacca was a late bloomer as he made his first foray into European football via Club Brugge at 25 years of age.

He gritted his teeth through the tough times: He only scored three times in his first season and had three different managers during his two-season stint at Brugge in Christoph Daum, Georges Leekens and Juan Carlos Garrido. 

During Bacca's final season for Brugge, he scored 28 goals in a total of 44 club games.

Belgium football expert John Chapman speculated that a transfer away was likely due to Bacca's rising transfer stock—his golazo against Feyenoord in a friendly game helped increase his name recognition.

"His problem is that his salary is low in footballing terms, around €500,000 per annum," Chapman wrote, per Belgofoot.be. "His agent has found clubs willing to pay around €3.5 million for his services."

When Sevilla came calling, Bacca was finally set to play in one of Europe's elite leagues.

"I am already 27 years old so for me this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Bacca said, per Brugge's official website. "When I came to Europe it has always been my dream to play in the Primera Division."

Under Sevilla manager Unai Emery, Bacca either leads the line as a centre-forward in a 4-2-3-1 or plays in a front two alongside Kevin Gameiro in a 4-4-2.

Statistically Evaluating Bacca

Player	Goals/Games	Shots Per Goal	Assists	Key Passes
Carlos Bacca	10/22	5.2	5	24
Karim Benzema	13/22	4.5	5	37
David Villa	11/22	4.5	3	21

In Bacca's debut season in La Liga, he is already on par with Real Madrid's Karim Benzema and Atletico Madrid's David Villa.

Bacca has only started 77.3 percent of La Liga games in which he has been involved and his sub-affected games percentage is 72.7. He could be around the 15-20 goal mark right now if he given the same undisputed status as Real Madrid left attacking midfielder Cristiano Ronaldo, whose sub-affected games percentage is 4.8. 

What makes Bacca so difficult to handle is him being a dual threat to score or create: He has five league assists, which is more than Barcelona centre midfielder Andres Iniesta (four), Real Madrid attacking midfielder Isco (three) and Athletic Bilbao attacking midfielder Ander Herrera (three).

Bacca's rise to prominence forced Romanian international Raul Rusescu, a €2 million summer transfer signing from Steaua Bucharest, to be loaned out to Braga.

Bacca's Playing Style

Bacca will exploit shoddy defending, a skill shown in a 3-1 win over Espanyol.

Their centre-backs, Hector Moreno and Sidnei, instinctively shifted towards Sevilla right attacking midfielder Jairo, who ended up straying into offside territory. 

This opened a hole and Bacca burst through on goal, though this would not have happened if Espanyol left-back Fuentes had not been out of position.

He tried desperately to cut off the run, but Bacca pushed the ball ahead, outpaced Fuentes and finished past Espanyol goalkeeper Kiko Casilla.

During a Sevilla set-piece situation in a 4-1 defeat to Barcelona, Bacca headed an Ivan Rakitic free-kick past Barca goalkeeper Victor Valdes, who was bailed out by the post.

Bacca was unchallenged as he was not marked by 6'3" Barca centre-back Gerard Pique because they were defending zonally for that play.

The 5'11" Bacca was able to manoeuvre into space and win an uncontested header, whereas he probably would not have won the header if he had been marked by Pique.

In a 4-1 win over Rayo Vallecano, there was a comedy of errors resulting in another goal for Bacca.

The entire Rayo right flank was vacant allowing Sevilla left-back Alberto Moreno to deliver a cross which led to the ball ricocheting off the crossbar.

Rayo right-back Anaitz Arbilla was ball-watching and did not mark Bacca, who acrobatically pulled off an overhead kick.

It would have been blocked except that Rayo centre-back Saul Niguez jumped out of the way.

In a 2-2 draw against Real Valladolid, centre-back Marc Valiente did not anticipate an obvious lay-off from Sevilla left-forward Vitolo to Bacca.

What Valiente should have done was got in front of Bacca or win the ball from Vitolo—Valiente did neither and Bacca cleanly struck the ball past Valladolid 'keeper Diego Marino.

These examples illustrate Bacca's opportunistic tendencies and it is the same when he is hoping the assistant referee will keep the flag down.

When Bacca was at Brugge, he spoke of his frustrations with assistant referees.

"It's only human to make mistakes, I can't hold it against them," Bacca said, per Brugge's official website. "It's a pity only that it happened a couple of times in a row and that it decided some games."

Bacca is second behind (1.4) Ronaldo in flagged offsides per game (1.7).

Conclusion

Bacca has expert positional awareness in the penalty box and he will continue to thrive in La Liga against teams that do not play fundamental defence. 

The counter argument to what appears to be La Liga's deteriorating defence is teams have overpowering attack-minded players.

Five of the top 15 goalscorers in Europe's elite leagues are from La Liga (Ronaldo [Real], Diego Costa [Atleti], Alexis Sanchez [Barca], Antoine Griezmann [Real Sociedad] and Benzema [Real]). 

In Bacca's case, he is playing in front of a complete midfielder in Rakitic, who can loft long balls from deep, is a threat from set pieces and leads La Liga in key passes per game (2.7).

Remember, Bacca scored in a 7-3 defeat to Real, hit the post in a 4-1 defeat to Barca and the crossbar in a 3-1 defeat to Atleti. 

"From selling bus tickets to the brink of the world finals in only seven years," per FIFA.com, Bacca plays with a chip on his shoulder because he knows what life was like before he was a professional footballer. 

His determined mindset combined with his immense quality is why he is on course to transition into a world-class No. 9.

@allanjianga

+allanjiang

Statistics via WhoScored, FFT Stats Zone, Squawka and Transfermarkt.

Sevilla president Jose Maria del Nido has been sentenced to seven years in jail after being found guilty of corruption charges.

As reported by Yahoo! Eurosport, the punishment relates to his participation in a case of misappropriated funds involving the Marbella local council.

Here's the case details, via Mark Doyle of Goal.com:

The charges related to the Rojiblancos supremo's previous stint as a lawyer for the municipality of Marbella between 1999 and 2003.

Along with former mayor Julian Munoz, Del Nido was accused of devising a scheme to divert money from the city's public accounts.

The situation does not link directly to Sevilla, although the La Liga club are sure to feel the impact of unwanted publicity and the absence of their key figure.

Doyle reports that del Nido evaded a lengthier sentence after avoiding charges of fraud, a crime prosecutors could have met with up to 30 years in jail.

The 56-year-old will disassociate himself from Sevilla and is to drop his directorial position now that the severity of his sentence is known.

Unai Emery's team are currently eighth in the Spanish top flight, having won six of their 15 matches this campaign, and will be disappointed to have their name associated with del Nido's circumstances.

The Spanish club captured consecutive UEFA Cup victories in 2006 and 2007 with Del Nido behind the scenes but have struggled to make an impact in this year's La Liga after selling both Jesus Navas and Alvaro Negredo to Manchester City.

To round off del Nido's punishment, Yahoo! Eurosport also confirms he has been ordered to pay Marbella council €2.7 million in lost funds.

“A wanted man.” These were the words used by ESPN’s Christopher Atkins to describe 20-year-old midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia. These words could not be any more accurate.

The Sevilla star has quickly made a name for himself and attracted interest from some of the world’s top football clubs.

But just who is this rising French starlet?

Since his move from Lens in 2012, the defensive-minded midfielder has staked his claim as one of the best up-and-coming talents at his position. He has been very much a part of Sevilla’s season thus far and continues to impress every single week.

Despite his young age, Kondogbia deserves all of the praise that he is receiving, as well as the interest from the top clubs in the world.

Through and through, Geoffrey Kondogbia is a defensive midfielder. It is not merely the position he plays, but his very identity when on the pitch.

In just over eight months at the club, the French starlet has become the most pivotal player when defending the ball. His ability to play cover the defense has saved Sevilla countless times and his vision has showed maturity way beyond his years.

Kondogbia is averaging nearly three tackles per game and close to two interceptions as well according to Who Scored. Though he does not even average one clearance per game, it should be noted that it is because he simply does not have to

The 20-year-old possesses a special skill for his age. He can read the game at a level that reminds some of Sergio Busquets when he first broke out in Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona side.

Kondogbia just appears to be in the right places at the right time, and that is something that just cannot be taught. His interceptions make up over 60 percent of his defensive actions showing just how well can read the game (via Squawka).

His understanding of the game makes him seem much older than he really is. But it is his fearlessness that makes him such a strong defensive-minded performer.

Sevilla’s star absolutely loves to challenge the ball.

He has no reservations when going in for a tackle and sacrifices his body with every stop he attempts. Winning 79 percent of challenges just shows his ability to use his body and tenacity in the correct way.

Kondogbia also wins more than half of his headers which makes him a force in the midfield and playing in front of the Sevilla defense. Kondogbia is a physical and strong player and knows exactly how to use that to his advantage.

Many comparisons have been made with Kondogbia and currently established stars. But none of the likenesses seem to line up.

Normally the French star is thought of as a replacement for Xabi Alonso, or someone in the same mold as Juventus star Pogba. But this simply is not the case due to one factor—offensive struggles.

Geoffrey Kondogbia is not a successful offensive performer.

Though he is strong when making short passes, his ability to play long balls and key passes is severely lacking. He only averages one long ball and 0.2 key passes per game. Definitely not the next Xabi Alonso no matter how badly Real Madrid wishes he was.

In fact, it is the Spanish club that seems to have the biggest interest in the French star.

With Xabi Alonso nowhere near extending his current contract, Florentino Perez will need to find a suitable replacement soon. Though Kondogbia would absolutely help Madrid defensively, his offensive weakness makes him a terrible candidate to replace the current Spanish star.

But no matter who decides to make a real bid for the player, they will not have to overpay by any means.

Kondogbia’s rights are partially owned by a third party.

Though Sevilla would like to think that his €20 million release clause will be what they receive for him, the Doyan group would receive at least half of any payment and anything more than €8 million would force the club to sell. (via ESPN).

In closing, the world is right to have an eye on Geoffrey Kondogbia. He is already a wall as a purely defensive midfielder and could quickly become one of the best in the world at the position.

With Sevilla almost forced to sell him this summer, one club will end up with a current and future star on their hands. Keep an eye out for Geoffrey Kondogbia, he is the real deal.

What do you make of Geoffrey Kondogbia? Can he become a world-class player? Leave your thoughts and comments below.

Tre' Atkinson. Follow me on Twitter for more discussions on Kondogbia, Sevilla and La Liga.

Follow @TreAtkinson

Sevilla FC faced FC Barcelona at home in its La Liga BBVA match. The recent match and the history of the club serve as a reason it was chosen La Liga BBVA Team of the week.

Sevilla FC vs FC Barcelona

Before the two clubs faced each other, FC Barcelona was in first place in the 2012-2013 La Liga tables with 15 points. La Blaugrana had a clean sheet entering into the match against Sevilla.

Sevilla FC was in fifth place with 11 points with five matches. The results of the matches for Sevilla were three victories and two draws out of five matches.

During the match, Sevilla stunned FC Barcelona with two goals. The goals were scored by Piotr Trochowski and Alvaro Negredo.

FC Barcelona responded with two goals scored by Cesc Fabregas. David Villa scored the winning goal for Barca.

Barca is now in first place with 18 points in the La Liga tables. The history of Sevilla FC is another interesting story in the journey through La Liga.

History

According to the UEFA webpage, the club is also known as Los Hispalenses. The reason is that Sevilla's previous name was Hispalis and Ipalis.

Sevilla FC was founded by Jose Luis Gallegos, Carlos Garcia Martinez and Benito Romero in the early 20th century. They founded the club after returning from studying in England.

Emilio Bezard, Luis Ruiz de Castaneda, Joaquin Valenzuela, the Matta, Latifa and Zapata brothers are also founders of Sevilla FC. The club eventually evolved and participated in various events before arriving at La Liga in the 1930s.

Sevilla FC was the 1945-1946 La Liga and 1947-1948 Copa Del Rey Champions. In 1958, the Estadio Sanchez Pizjuan was dedicated after two decades.

The club started to play their matches in the new stadium named after one of its presidents. The biggest victory for the club was against AGF in 1957.

The year 1958 was their worst defeat against Real Madrid. The 21st century saw a rebirth for Sevilla FC under the leadership of Joaquin Caparros and Juan De Ramos.

Los Hispalenses are the recipients of the UEFA Super Cup and Europa League. They won their fifth Copa Del Rey in the year 2010.

Conclusion

My thanks to the BR readers for their time in reading about the latest La Liga BBVA team of the week. I want to wish all of you the best until next week.

WIth league play winding down, Barcelona looked to secure three of a possible nine points that would put La Liga out of reach before they square off against Madrid at el Bernabeu. Bojan Krikic, Barcelona's wonder-kid who has struggled for playing time behind Pedro, got a rare start, and the two sides put on a dazzling display of high-octane football.

Busquets looked silky smooth returning to his natural position as defensive mid, and started some danger in the 17th minute with a lovely run up the middle. Barcelona's defense in general looked solid with Pique back in the middle and Busquets working the pivot.

Messi was terrific from the start, hustling all the way back in defense to cut off the speedy Diego Capel, and pressuring Sevilla's keeper on the other end moments later.

Bojan too looked good up top, combining nicely with Messi in tight space, receiving and returning passes from midfield. He definitely has "el perfil" (the type) of a Barça forward, but with Messi, Villa, and Pedro to compete with, he needed to impress tonight.

In the 29th minute he did just that. Receiving from Xavi on the left side, Bojan dropped to Iniesta and cut to goal. Iniesta found Alves on the far side of the box with a delightful chip, who neatly passed right around the keeper to Bojan, who was taken down from behind but slid across the goal line with the ball at his feet. The youngster's celebration showed how big this score was for him—his first in three months.

Barcelona continued to force the issue, but began to feel the enormous effect of Sevilla's Martin Caceras on the game.  In the 35th minute, the Uruguayan international made two crucial stops in a row, separated by a run all the way up the right flank with Bojan in tow—the first of many spirited takes.

In the 38th minute, Iniesta had a gorgeous run up the middle, dropping off to Villa on the right, who blew a shot into the stands. It was a decisive run for Iniesta akin to his goal-generating movements against Arsenal, and a good sign for Barcelona that his form is really picking up.

Another brilliant combination came in the 41st, building methodically in the midfield with Messi, Iniesta, and Xavi. Xavi ended up receiving, Messi making a run straight at goal, and Xavi finding him with a perfect dime (which Messi headed crisply off the crossbar). Impudent attacking—direct, obvious, and simple—Messi makes this all possible with his incredible pace.

Two minutes later, Messi again came tearing up the middle and dropped off to Bojan on the edge of the box, who was taken down from behind. The free kick was taken by Messi, whose curling strike swung through the wall over a ducking Iniesta, but was parried away brilliantly by Varas' dive. 

Sevilla came out firing in the second half, and scored a lovely goal in the opening minutes. Negredo broke free on the right side, and sent a cross that was headed home by Sevilla captain Navas.  Minutes later Negredo found himself completely free in front of goal, but blew the shot well over the crossbar. The pace of the match wouldn't let up from here on in.

Caceras continued to be absolutely beastly—coming out of the back with ferocious pace, and leading the counterattack with all-out sprints on goal.

The middle minutes of the half got pretty chippy: Xavi and Medel exchanged shoves and saw yellow, before Busquets was taken down by Navarro, who received Sevilla's fourth yellow.

The Barça attack could be described as "tiki-taka-Messi": the ball moving methodically until reaching Messi, when it's taken full speed directly at goal. But Caceras and the rest of Sevilla's defense stopped him time and again outside the box.

In the 70th minute Caceras again made a ridiculous run, streaking up the right side and getting off a cross under pressure from the baseline. This is a defender with out-of-this-world fitness, and a man Barcelona may reincorporate into their squad next season.

In the 74th, Messi was again picked cleanly by Caceras. Sevilla's counterattack sprung Perotti past Pique, who laid a cross to Navas that was somehow cleared by the toes of a sliding Valdes.

Four minutes later Perotti again beat Pique around the outside, dropping a perfect cross on the foot of Kanoute, whose first-touch shot went wide.

With Barcelona being stood up just outside the box, Sevilla continued with free-flowing counterattacks—men coming forward and taking free cracks on goal—like Kanoute whose screaming strike from way out was saved masterfully by Valdes.

The 81st minute saw a play unlike any I've witnessed in soccer: Abidal, one-on-one with Negredo in defense, won the ball briefly but went to ground. As the ball trickled past, he flung himself forward like a worm to spear the ball away from Negredo, and allow Barça to clear.

More chances came for Barcelona in the final ten minutes: Bojan's cross in the 83rd was just barely out of reach of Messi, Iniesta's strike from outside the box ricocheted off the crossbar in the 85th, and a rebound he sent on goal was cleared off the line in the 91st.

The match wound down with perhaps the most heart-pounding football Barcelona has played all season. Sevilla fought for their roaring home crowd, opening up counterattacks with their distinctive free-wheeling style, and "los bajitos" of Barça fought valiantly to the final whistle.

Despite some heated exchanges, the game ended with cordial hand-shakes, kisses, and jersey exchanges. Both teams perhaps recognized the incredible quality of the match, the fact that each side had performed admirably, and that Spanish football was well served by their performance. A 1-1 draw well-earned by both sides, and an absolute thriller.

With Madrid winning comfortably the day before, Barcelona is now but five points clear at the top of the table, and El Clasico is sure to be a meaningful match. Hay Liga?