Barcelona vs Levante Preview: Where to Watch, Live Stream, Kick Off Time & Team News
Barcelona could lift their 26th La Liga title on Saturday before they even kick a ball as they take on Levante at the Camp Nou.
If Atletico lose at home to Valladolid in the earlier kick off, it means Ernesto Valverde's side will automatically be champions. Should Los Rojiblancos draw then Barcelona need only match their rivals' result, while a win for Diego Simeone's men will mean La Blaugrana are then required to beat Levante to seal the deal.
ANDER GILLENEA/GettyImages
With the visitors down in 14th, it seems all but certain that no matter the outcome in Atletico's match, Barcelona should claim the La Liga crown in front of their own supporters in a game they are outstanding favourites to win.
Here's 90min's preview of the encounter below.
Where to Watch
When Is Kick Off? | Saturday 27 April |
What Time Is Kick Off? | 19:45 (BST) |
Where Is it Played? | Camp Nou |
TV Channel/Live Stream? | ITV4 |
Referee? | TBC |
Team News
The champagne could be ready for all but one of Barcelona's players on Saturday, with only midfielder Rafinha missing from the first team squad - having been out since November.
Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/GettyImages
Furthermore, Valverde has no players missing through suspension so there can be no excuses not to claim the title on Saturday night.
Cheick Doukouré remains sidelined for Levante, having ruptured his cruciate ligament in February and not due back until August. Centre back Sergio Postigo is also unavailable with a torn muscle he picked up earlier in April.
Predicted Lineups
Barcelona | Ter Stegen; Semedo, Pique, Lenglet, Alba; Busquets, Rakitic, Arthur; Messi, Coutinho, Suarez. |
Levante | Fernandez; Coke, Vezo, Rober, Tono; Campana, Vukcevic, Bardhi; Jason, Mayoral, Morales |
Head to Head Record
The two clubs have met on 27 occasions in all competitions, with the Catalan side holding the far superior record during their encounters with 20 wins, in what will be the fourth meeting between the sides this season.
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Barca humbled Levante 5-0 in the reverse fixture in the league, while the Gronatas recorded a shock 2-1 Copa del Rey first leg victory over Valverde's men, before losing the second leg 3-0 at the Camp Nou.
Lionel Messi scored a hat trick when they met in the league in December and netted another during their cup win, so will be looking for his fifth goal against the visitors this season on Saturday.
Recent Form
Looking seemingly on course to run away with the league for some time now, Barca have seemed to take their foot off the pedal in recent weeks, failing to convince in La Liga despite not losing in the division since September.
A goalless stalemate away at lowly Huesca was followed by a 3-0 thumping of Manchester United in the Champions League quarter finals, with La Blaugrana looking back to their glittering best. The club then secured a narrow 2-1 win over Real Sociedad at home courtesy of goals from defensive duo Clement Lenglet and Jordi Alba, before seeing off Alaves with an unconvincing 2-0 success.
Saturday's visitors secured their first win in six matches on Wednesday as they brushed aside Real Betis at the Estadi Ciutat de València to record a valuable three points. Prior to that the Valencia-based side had conceded at least two goals in each their previous five outings, with a trio of 2-2 draws coupled with two away defeats.
Here's how the two teams got on in their last five fixtures:
Barcelona | Levante |
Alaves 0-2 Barcelona (23/4) | Levante 4-0 Real Betis (24/4) |
Barcelona 2-1 Real Sociedad (20/4) | Levante 2-2 Espanyol (21/4) |
Barcelona 3-0 Manchester United (16/4) | Valencia 3-1 Levante (14/4) |
Huesca 0-0 Barcelona (13/4) | Levante 2-2 Huesca (7/4) |
Manchester United 0-1 Barcelona (10/4) | Athletic Bilbao 3-2 Levante (3/4) |
Prediction
Battering. It would take real guts to suggest the scoreline will be anything other than a Barcelona win on Saturday.
The league is firmly within their grasp, they also have the opportunity to do it on front of their own supporters on a Saturday evening, meaning this could only go one way. Furthermore, they come up against a side that have conceded six goals in their last two away matches, therefore it makes the task significantly more difficult for a struggling Levante team.
It will be a party atmosphere at the Camp Nou, regardless of what result is needed to lift the trophy, and the goals will flow.
Prediction: Barcelona 6-0 Levante
