Ahead of Saturday's clash between two of La Liga's top five teams, Sevilla's coach has lauded Luis Enrique's efforts with the Catalans
Sevilla boss Unai Emery believes Barcelona are closing in on the performance level they reached during Pep Guardiola's tenure.
Guardiola stepped down from the Camp Nou job in the summer of 2012 and the Catalans have since struggled to stamp their authority on Europe.
The first six months of Luis Enrique's reign were overshadowed by Real Madrid's unrelenting winning streak but, with the European champions having dropped the ball in 2015, Barca now hold a four-point lead in La Liga and have their sights set on their first treble since Guardiola left.
Emery, who has overseen seven consecutive competitive wins heading into Saturday's clash, paid his compliments to how Lionel Messi and Co. have romped to nine successive triumphs.
"I think this Barcelona side is the closest one to Guardiola’s great team," he told reporters.
"Luis Enrique is doing a top job and you can see that in Barca's play, regardless of whether their possession has increased or decreased. They’re in a very good place right now."
“The challenge of taking on Barca always motivates me, though I always think about winning no matter who our opponent is. I hope it's a great game and we see an excellent Sevilla performance."
Sevilla could leapfrog Valencia - at least until Monday, when Nuno Espirito Santo's men face Levante - into fourth place with a win over Barca, who may well have one eye on their Champions League quarter-final first leg at Paris Saint-Germain.
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