Defending LaLiga champions Barcelona are hoping to make a swift return to winning ways when they host Levante at Camp Nou on Sunday. The Blaugrana will also be thinking about revenge after having lost the reverse fixture 3-1 in November, even though Lionel Messi had scored to put them ahead at half-time. Moreover, Levante have won three of the last six direct matches in all competitions, all of them at home.
Barcelona have not enjoyed the best of starts under new head coach Quique Setien, last weekend they lost 2-0 at Valencia and lost their place at the top of the table in LaLiga. They bounced back with a Copa del Rey victory this week, they defeated Leganes 5-0 and Lionel Messi scored twice. Usually this would have been the kind of match in which the Argentinian superstar would have been rested, but this time it seems the new head coach had other plans. Ousmane Dembele and Luis Suarez remain on the injured list, but apart from them Quique Setien has a full-strength squad to choose from.
Levante have recorded pretty poor results lately, they have lost their last three league matches and also got knocked out of the Spanish Cup after losing 3-1 at Sevilla. Last week they lost 2-0 at Osasuna in LaLiga and dropped to thirteenth place, but they are still nine points clear of the relegation zone. Ivan Lopez and Rober Pier are out injured for the visitors, while Nemanja Radoja, Oier Olazabal and Enis Bardhi are injury doubts.
Probable line-ups:
Barcelona: Ter Stegen - Roberto, Pique, Umtiti, Alba - Arthur, Busquets, De Jong - Fati, Messi, Griezmann
Levante: Fernandez - Cabaco, Postigo, Vezo - Miramon, Radoja, Campana, Tono - Rochina - Morales, Marti
My prediction:
This might not be a simple match for Barcelona, but I believe the Blaugrana will do enough to grab a 3-1 win.
Here are the odds for the match at NetBet:
Barcelona win - 1.13
Draw - 10.00
Levante win - 19.00
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