Barcelona vs Levante 18/01/19

18 January 2019

A few wasted chances in the first leg of the Copa del Rey round-of-16 tie may prove costly for Levante, who are set to travel to Camp Nou to face Barcelona in the return leg.

The Catalan giants have to overcome a 1-goal deficit from last week, as Levante utterly outplayed under-strength La Liga holders, securing a 2-1 victory. However, unbeaten in their last five home games in all competitions (W4, D1), the Blaugrana are looking to post their third successive home win after clinching two triumphs without conceding a single goal. Leo Messi and his fellow teammates have bagged over 1.5 goals in 12 of 14 competitive outings at Camp Nou, managing an average of 3.14 goals scored per match so far. Nine of Barcelona’s 14 home clashes this season have produced over 2.5 goals, with Ernesto Valverde’s men keeping a clean sheet six times in the process.

Meanwhile, it will be a daunting prospect for Levante to pick up a win against Barcelona considering they’ve lost 12 consecutive H2H meetings with Barca at Camp Nou, conceding over 2.5 goals per match in the last five meetings in Catalonia. The Granotas have gone from four successive road draws to two consecutive losses, with five of those encounters ending with both teams hitting the net. Before a 1-0 away loss to Atletico Madrid, Paco Lopez’s players have scored on seven straight road trips, scoring exactly one goal per match four times in the process. Still, Levante’s burning issue concerns the disastrous defensive displays that have seen them conceding a goal nine of 11 road trips this season.