The Matchday 2 clash in La Liga between Levante and Barcelona will take place on August 23 at the Ciudad de Valencia Stadium. Levante vs. Barcelona: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Levante
The team returned to Spain's top division and immediately suffered a defeat, losing away to Alaves (1-2). It's worth noting that Levante had a chance to draw, but conceded a decisive goal in the 92nd minute. Interestingly, before this, the club was on a short run of two victories in La Liga.
- Three or more goals have been scored in Levante's last five matches in La Liga.
- Both teams have scored in 8 of the club's last 9 league games.
- At home, the Valencia team has not lost in 5 of their last 7 La Liga encounters (4 wins and 1 draw).
Predicted lineup for Levante (5-4-1)
Alfonso Pastor – Manu Sanchez, Jorge Cabello, Unai Elgezabal, Jeremy Toljan, Adrian de la Fuente – Brugui, Oriol Rey, Pablo Martinez, Victor Garcia – Ivan Romero.
Due to injuries, key goalkeeper Alfonso Pastor, midfielders Jon Olasagasti and Kervin Arriaga, as well as defender Alan Matturro, are unavailable.
Barcelona
The Catalans immediately topped the standings by thrashing Mallorca 3-0 away. By the middle of the first half, the club was already two goals ahead. The islanders were then reduced to nine men, and Hans Flick's side calmly saw the game to its logical conclusion. Notably, Barcelona has won eight of their last nine La Liga matches.
- In the last 19 La Liga encounters, the Catalans have won 17 times.
- At least 3 goals have been scored in 5 of Barcelona's last 6 league games.
- The club is on an 8-match winning streak away in La Liga.
Predicted lineup for Barcelona (4-3-3)
Joan Garcia – Ronald Araujo, Pau Cubarsi, Alex Balde, Eric Garcia – Fermin Lopez, Pedri, Frenkie de Jong – Ferran Torres, Lamine Yamal, Raphinha Dias.
Goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen and defender Dani Rodriguez will not play due to injuries. Forward Robert Lewandowski's participation is questionable due to an injury.
Match Prediction: Levante vs. Barcelona
The favorite for the upcoming match is clear. Hans Flick's team is in incredible form, as demonstrated in the first round with a resounding away victory. The Catalans have not lost away in La Liga for 12 matches (9 wins and 3 draws). Moreover, in their last three away games, Barcelona has won with a clean sheet and a margin of 2 or 3 goals.
It will be difficult for Levante to stop the attacking potential of the visitors. It will even be tough to score against the Catalans, who have conceded only 1 goal in their last five away La Liga matches. Of course, the Valencians will try to take points from the leader at home, but previously, when they played in La Liga, they rarely managed to even draw against top-tier opponents. Also, in the last five personal meetings in La Liga, Levante has only managed to draw once against Barcelona, with the Catalans winning the other four encounters.
My prediction – Barcelona with a handicap (-1.5)
