UEFA Super Cup live on SBS
Watch the UEFA Super Cup LIVE on SBS
Then, like now, Barcelona was considered by many to be the best club team in the world. The 2006 UEFA Champions League winner boasted a formidable front three featuring a 19 year-old Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto’o and the best player in the world at the time; Brazil's Ronaldinho.
Barca went in as clear favorite, but Sevilla managed to expose the Blaugrana at its weakest points, namely an unprotected defence and deficiencies when it came to set-pieces.
A man-of-the-match performance from none other than Dani Alves led Sevilla to a 3-0 victory.
In fact tomorrow morning Barca is expected to line up with Alves on the right and Adriano on the left – just like Sevilla did in 2006.
His 2006 performance was one of the reasons Barca went on to sign Alves in 2008, where he remains having won 19 trophies with the Catalan club.
The loss represented a turning point for a team that many believed would dominate that season.
It wouldn’t be until 2009 when Barcelona won a trophy again, after Ronaldinho had been sold and Pep Guardiola built his team around Messi.
For Sevilla fans, it was an unforgettable night, and it’s not the only classic encounter between these two sides.
When these two sides meet, we can expect goals. There have been 28 in their past six clashes.
In April this year they played out a classic, Barca was 2-0 up at Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium only for Sevilla to claw its way back and earn a 2-2 draw.
Earlier that season a classic Messi goal – cutting inside from the left playing a one-two with a team-mate before curling it past the keeper into the far corner – rounded off a 5-1 win at the Camp Nou.
The teams are not only rivals but are deeply linked through players. Ivan Rakitic was Sevilla’s first foreign captain since Diego Maradona before moving to Barcelona at the start of last season.
On top of that, Barca’s first signing of the summer transfer window was Sevilla’s right winger Aleix Vidal. Vidal won’t play tomorrow due to the ban on Barca registering players as imposed by FIFA.
On the other side, Denis Suarez is on loan at Sevilla from Barcelona, the precocious attacking midfielder played 47 times for Los Rojiblancos last season scoring six and setting up another five.
Tomorrow promises to be another classic, with all the action LIVE and free on SBS, SBS HD and streamed online from 4:30am (AEST).
