Barcelona welcomes Levante to the Spotify Camp Nou on Sunday in a La Liga fixture.
Barcelona, who are currently sitting at second position in the points table with 58 points, just two behind league leaders Real Madrid with a game in hand, will look to climb to the top spot by securing the three points against Levante. The visitors are in 19th position in the table with 18 points.
Barcelona vs Levante – Match preview and team news
- Date: Sunday, 22nd February.
- Kick-off: 3:15pm BST.
- Venue: Camp Nou, Barcelona.
Barcelona news
Barcelona have been handed a big lift before Sunday’s La Liga match, with Marcus Rashford and Pedri both back in training and expected to make the squad, although they are not likely to start.
Gavi has also rejoined full training after recovering from the knee injury that sidelined him for several months, and the Spain midfielder should be ready to return to competitive action at some point in March, but this match comes too soon for him. Andreas Christensen remains out long-term with a knee problem.
Hansi Flick is set to tweak his lineup from the side that faced Girona, with Alejandro Balde in contention to come back in at left-back, while Robert Lewandowski is expected to lead the line as the central striker after two disappointing performances by Ferran Torres in the last two matches.
Levante team news
Levante will be without Roger Brugue and Pablo Martinez, who are both out with knee injuries.
Unai Elgezabal is a serious doubt with a knee issue of his own, and Kervin Arriaga is suspended again, meaning the visitors are likely to be missing four players for this fixture.
Etta Eyong has been on the bench for Levante in each of their last two games against Villarreal, but he is expected to be restored to the starting XI this time.
Form
Barcelona
Before their recent slump, Barcelona had put together six straight wins, but they come into this game on the back of consecutive defeats to Atletico Madrid and Girona; however, their La Liga home form remains outstanding, with 11 wins from 11 and only five goals conceded.
The Catalans were heavily beaten 4-0 by Atletico in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final and then fell 2-1 to Girona in the league, yet they have lost just six of their last 46 meetings with Levante in all competitions, winning 33, and will be determined to extend that strong record after those two setbacks.
Levante
Levante head to this match on a poor run of three successive league defeats in Spain’s top tier, the latest being a 1-0 loss away to Villarreal on Wednesday night.
It has been a difficult season for the Frogs, who have managed only four wins, six draws and 14 defeats in 24 league outings, leaving seven points adrift of 17th-placed Elche. Their defensive record is a major problem, with 41 goals conceded – the worst in the league
Predicted lineups
Barcelona: J Garcia; Kounde, Cubarsi, E Garcia, Balde; Fermin, De Jong; Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha; Lewandowski
Levante: Ryan; Toljan, De la Fuente, Moreno, Sanchez; Olasagasti, Raghouber; Tunde, Alvarez, Romero; Eyong
How to watch Barcelona vs Levante?
In the UK, Barcelona vs Levante will be shown live on Premier Sports 1.
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