Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Neymar (left) celebrate a goal against AS Roma during a friendly match at Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona last Wednesday. The duo will have a big role to play again this season as Barcelona take on Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup, the traditional curtain-raiser to the European season, at Tbilisi, Georgia, tomorrow. (Reuters)

DPA/Tbilisi, Georgia

Barcelona are planning to pick up from where they left off last season, by beating Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup tomorrow at the Boris Paichadzis Erovnuli stadium in Tbilisi.
Barca finished last season on a spectacular high by winning the Champions League, Spanish Cup and the La Liga.
Now they intend to emulate their achievement of 2009 by winning six trophies in a calendar year, by prevailing in the UEFA Super Cup, the Spanish Super Cup and also the Club World Cup.
The UEFA Super Cup is the traditional curtain-raiser to the European season, played between the winners of the Champions League and the Europa League.
The two summer signings made by Barca—Aleix Vidal and Arda Turan—are unavailable until January because of FIFA’s transfer ban on the Catalans due to having under-age foreign youngsters in their youth academy.  
In addition, full-backs Douglas and Jordi Alba are both injured. This means that veterans Dani Alves and Jeremy Mathieu will be on the flanks. Ironically, Barca’s last defeat in the Super Cup came nine years ago, against a Sevilla side that had just started to show its teeth in Europe.
Sevilla have sold several important players to Barca since then—including Alves, Vidal and Ivan Rakitic—and Rakitic said that Tuesday’s game will be special for him.
“It is still strange for me to play against Sevilla, even though this is the third time. I have so many good memories of my time at Sevilla. I want them to win every match—except against us.”
“We have been working very hard for three weeks now. There is nothing better than to start the season with a trophy.”
Rakitic said that Barca’s South American trio of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez was raring to go.
“They are a wonderful trio, they were so important for us last season. Messi is the most important player in the history of football. Everything is easier with him.”
Messi has scored 22 goals against Sevilla in the past 10 years.
He returned to Barcelona last week in good shape, keen to put behind him the bitter experience of losing the Copa America final for Argentina against Chile.
Barca’s new club captain, after the departure of Xavi, is little Andres Iniesta, who will be making his 550th appearance for the Catalans. Only Xavi and Carles Puyol have played more times for Barca than Iniesta.
Meanwhile, Sevilla will be without defenders Daniel Carrico and Nico Pareja, which means that in the centre of defence will be new signings Adil Rami and Timothee Kolodziejczak.
Goalkeeper Beto is doubtful because of a throat infection, while midfielder Kolo has been laid low with a stomach bug.
Sevilla coach Unai Emery has never managed to beat Barca in 19 matches, but is nonetheless confident: “I think we are in better shape than before last year’s Super Cup (a 2-0 defeat against Real Madrid).
“We are working very hard to integrate our new signings... I think it is going to be a closer game than many people expect.”