Sevilla midfielder reveals plan to stop Barcelona wonderkid ahead of La Liga faceoff

FC Barcelona are staring at a busy week which starts off with the Copa del Rey quarterfinal against Valencia on Thursday before they take on Sevilla in La Liga at the weekend.

Having come to within four points of league leaders Real Madrid, the Blaugrana will be intent on keeping the pressure up with a victory against Sevilla on Sunday night at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.

Sevilla midfielder’s strategy to stop Lamine Yamal

It goes without saying that Lamine Yamal will be a key player for Barcelona in their bid to defeat Sevilla on Sunday.

The 17-year-old sensation’s brilliant form has already put him in the talks for La Liga MVP of this season and it is not lost on Sevilla midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga.

Speaking in an interview (h/t Mundo Deportivo), Lokonga praised Lamine Yamal while also discussing how the Barcelona winger can be stopped when they face off on the pitch this weekend.

Albert Sami Lokonga admires Lamine Yamal. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

“I really like him; he is a good player, very young. To stop players like him, the whole team has to be involved. One-on-one is very difficult, so we need to close him down as a team,” said the former Arsenal youngster.

Lamine has featured in 29 matches across all competitions for Barcelona this season, scoring ten goals and assisting 16.

Meanwhile, Lokonga, who has become a regular at Sevilla since joining on loan in the summer, understands that a game against a team such as Barcelona is like a showcase for any player.

When asked if Barcelona is the best team in the world, the Belgian responded; “Barcelona, Madrid, Liverpool, Arsenal… it will be a very, very difficult match. But it’s football, and we must prepare ourselves to win, as always.”