Monaco memories spur on Sevilla

Title aspirants
The meeting of last season's UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup winners comes six weeks after Sevilla defeated Barcelona 3-0 in Monaco to win the traditional curtain-raiser to the European campaign. Since then, five domestic rounds have been played and Barça have a one-point advantage over their rivals, who are in third place and looking like title aspirants in their own right. Regardless of league ranking, Sevilla striker Kepa Blanco believes the Monaco triumph will give his side a psychological edge this weekend.

'Delight to watch'
"After the events of the UEFA Super Cup, Barcelona know they will be up against a fiercely-determined rival. That victory gave us self-belief - we are fired up and eager to take maximum points," Kepa told uefa.com. "Barça play very attractive football, they are a real delight to watch and anyone who is a fan of the game will tell you that. But we will be setting out to use the same weapons that we employed against them in Monaco and, hopefully, we can come away with a positive result."

Prudent tack
Sevilla coach Juande Ramos, however, is urging his players not to be overly confident. "We know Barça are a difficult team to play and what happened in the Super Cup has no bearing on this game - every match is different to the last," he warned. "This time, neither side has been able to do any serious preparation as we have both had players absent on international duty. Over the next couple of days we will begin analysing their strengths and weaknesses".

Edmílson returns
Barcelona midfielder Edmílson is eligible to play after overcoming a sprained knee and is relishing the battle. "Sevilla have been playing well for a while and it's no surprise to see them in the upper part of the table," he said. "They are very strong defensively and lethal on the break. We know they are going to make life very difficult for us. What happened in Monaco is history. Perhaps we went into that match less motivated than Sevilla did, but on Sunday we will be looking for a win as we always do".

Saviola threat
While Edmílson has left the casualty room, centre-back Carles Puyol may be rested after picking up a muscular injury while representing Spain, especially with a trip to Chelsea FC to come on Wednesday. Sevilla, meanwhile, will wait to see whether centre-forward Frédéric Kanouté can overcome a knee problem. The tie will have particular significance for Javier Saviola, who spent last season on loan at Sevilla and is back in the Barça reckoning. Ramos is aware of the threat the Argentinian international poses. "He might not be enjoying his best time but he is capable of settling a game all on his own," he said.