Barcelona vs Levante 28/04/19

28 April 2019

Undisputed La Liga leaders Barcelona welcome a struggling Levante side to Camp Nou for Saturday’s LL round of matches, looking for all three points that would see them wrapping up their eighth league title in the span of 11 years.

Sitting nine points clear of second-placed Atletico Madrid, with four LL fixtures left to go, the reigning holders have come one step away from claiming back-to-back league crowns. Unbeaten in their last 21 competitive outings (W15, D6), the hosts look to post their eighth straight home victory across all competitions. Notably, five of seven of Barca’s previous home wins have seen them beating their rivals by a minimum of two-goal margin, with the Blaugrana restricting their opponents to a maximum of one goal per match each time. No team has scored more goals at home than Barcelona (48) this term, with Ernesto Valverde’s men netting 2+ match goals in 15 of 17 LL home encounters so far. Additionally, the Catalans boast an astonishing 13-game home winning streak against Levante in competitive H2H meetings, with all six of their previous wins against the Valencia-based outfit at this venue saw them score over 2.5 match goals.

Meanwhile, midweek’s 4-0 home win over Real Betis has helped the visitors halt a disappointing nine-game LL winless run (D4, L5), but they still have a long way to go before securing the LL survival. Sitting three-points above 18th-placed Girona, Granotas are desperate to make the most out of this clash and possibly snap a four-game LL away winless streak (D1, L3). However, Levante’s defensive frailties that have seen them concede at least one goal in all 15 of their previous competitive away clashes indicate it would be a daunting prospect for Paco López’s players to leave Camp Nou with something in their pockets. Furthermore, only three teams have shipped more goals on the road than Levante (30) this campaign, with Granotas keeping just two clean sheets in 17 LL away clashes.