Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez won't be popular at Sevilla, and that has nothing to do with whether he inspires his squad of talented youngsters and downbeat senior pros to a slightly unlikely looking victory over Los Rojiblancos at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on Tuesday (3 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+).
When the Catalan -- who, as a player, did so much to keep domestic trophies tantalisingly out of reach for great Sevilla sides variously starring Freddie Kanoute, Luis Fabiano, Ivan Rakitic, Jose Antonio Reyes, Jesus Navas, Adriano, Sergio Ramos, Julio Baptista and Dani Alves -- was asked about Tuesday's rivals, he stated a plain fact: "Sevilla were close to being champions last season and they are in shape to win the league this year.