Barcelona vs Levante: TV channel, live stream, team news & prediction
Ronald Koeman will have another bite at relieving the pressure on himself when his Barcelona side welcome Levante to Camp Nou on Sunday.
Without a win in their last three games in all competitions, Barcelona are at risk of unravelling completely and they will have to try to compose themselves without Koeman, who is suspended for this game after being sent off against Cadiz.
They’re up against a Levante side still searching for their first win of the season, so a poor result here could put the final nail in Koeman’s coffin.
Here’s everything you need to know about the game.
When is it being played? Sunday 26 September, 15:15 (BST)
Where is it being played? Camp Nou
TV channel? La Liga TV (UK), ESPN+ (US)
Highlights? La Liga YouTube Channel
Referee? Isidro Diaz de Mera
The latest issues for Barcelona are the suspensions of both Koeman and Frenkie de Jong, whose red cards against Cadiz make them unavailable for this one.
They join Jordi Alba, Alejandro Balde, Moussa Wague, Pedri, Ousmane Dembele, Sergio Aguero and Martin Braithwaite on the sidelines.
It’s not all doom and gloom, however, as young Ansu Fati is expected to make his return after nearly 12 months out with a knee injury.
Levante will definitely be without Roberto Soldado, Enis Bardhi and Jose Campana through injury and there’s a good chance Mickael Malsa won’t make it in time either.
There could be a start for former Real Madrid winger Jorge de Frutos, who is back after a knee injury saw him miss two games.
Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Mingueza, Araujo, Pique, Dest; Gavi, Busquets, Roberto; Coutinho, De Jong, Memphis
Levante: Fernandez; Miramon, Duarte, Mustafi, Clerc; De Frutos, Martinez, Radoja, Melero; Marti, Morales
Barcelona have the clear advantage in the history books. They have lost just five of the 36 meetings between the two sides, but three of those have come in the past three years.
Last season’s 3-3 draw was one of the biggest shocks of the season and effectively killed Barcelona’s chances of winning the title, so Koeman’s men will be out for revenge.
Barcelona did win the other meeting between these two last year – a 1-0 win in December – with Levante’s last victory coming in November 2019.
Barcelona have been pretty poor recently, but Levante have been significantly worse and it would be a huge surprise to see them get anything from this game.
The Catalan side have been battered by injuries and suspensions, and they’re without most of their players who are actually capable of making something happen against a low-block defence. Because of that, they may need to make the most out of a limited number of chances.
There should be a narrow win on the cards for Barcelona, but even if they do win all the points, it’s not going to lift the mood at Camp Nou.
Prediction: Barcelona 1-0 Levante