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Played
May 11, 2011 7:00 PM BST
Estadio Ciudad de Valencia — Valencia
Referee:‬ José Paradas‎
Attendance:‬ 17000‎
 

Levante - Barcelona Preview: Catalans need just one point to seal La Liga title

Pep Guardiola’s men will wrap up their third league success in a row with a draw on Wednesday night, while they will also be aiming to keep on course for 100 points

By Robin Bairner

More On :  Barcelona, Levante UD, Levante UD vs Barcelona
Pep Guardiola - Barcelona (Getty Images)
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 PROBABLE LINE-UPS
Levante (4-2-3-1): Munua; Venta, Ballesteros, Nano, Juanfran; X. Torres, Iborra; Valdo, R. Suarez, Montero; Caicedo.
Juanlu, Sergio and Asier del Horno are all out injured, with the last of the trio having undergone an Achilles operation on Tuesday. Ruben is back in the squad, though.
Barcelona (4-3-3): Valdes; Alves, Mascherano, Pique, Maxwell; Xavi, Busquets, Iniesta; Pedro, Messi, Villa.
There has been some good news for Pep Guardiola in recent days as Bojan Krkic and Maxwell have been declared fit for the trip to Valencia.

Carles Puyol continues to train away from the main body of the team along with Adriano, and neither are expected to figure on Wednesday.

 DID YOU KNOW?
  • Levante have lost only three of their last 15 Liga encounters, pushing themselves into mid-table.

  • When the Valencia-based side were beaten 3-2 by Athletic Bilbao at the weekend, it was the first time that they had gone three matches without a win since January, when they suffered a five-game losing streak.

  • Scoring first tends to be important against Levante, as they have only recovered to win from a losing position once this season.

  • Against sides in the top half of the table, they have gained only 12 points from 16 encounters – the worst record in the league aside from basement side Almeria.

  • Barcelona, on the other hand, actually have a better record against teams in the top 10 positions, averaging 2.64 points a game, compared to 2.55 against the lesser ranked teams.

  • They have scored exactly 40 goals when playing sides ranked in the upper echelons of the table and have conceded only 10.

  • Pep Guardiola’s side lie second in the form table behind Malaga, who have picked up two more points than the Catalans in their last eight fixtures, conceding one goal less and scoring three goals more.

  • Away from home, the Catalans have slipped up only once in the league, losing surprisingly at Real Sociedad less than a fortnight ago.

  • If Barca win their remaining three games, they will clock up 100 points, and they only need nine goals to also hit 100 for the campaign.

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Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
  • Levante UD 0-3 Barcelona
    17.54 %
  • Levante UD 0-4 Barcelona
    12.46 %
  • Levante UD 0-5 Barcelona
    11.87 %
Head to Head
La Liga ‎(LIGA)‎ 20 Apr 2013 Barcelona 1 - Levante UD 0
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La Liga ‎(LIGA)‎ 25 Nov 2012 Levante UD 0 - Barcelona 4
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La Liga ‎(LIGA)‎ 14 Apr 2012 Levante UD 1 - Barcelona 2
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La Liga ‎(LIGA)‎ 3 Dec 2011 Barcelona 5 - Levante UD 0
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La Liga ‎(LIGA)‎ 11 May 2011 Levante UD 1 - Barcelona 1
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Last Five Matches
Levante UD
19 May 2013Levante UD 2 - Rayo Vallecano 3LIGA
10 May 2013Levante UD 0 - Zaragoza 0LIGA
5 May 2013Mallorca 1 - Levante UD 1LIGA
27 Apr 2013Levante UD 0 - Celta 1LIGA
20 Apr 2013Barcelona 1 - Levante UD 0LIGA
Barcelona
19 May 2013Barcelona 2 - Valladolid 1LIGA
12 May 2013Atlético de Madrid 1 - Barcelona 2LIGA
5 May 2013Barcelona 4 - Betis 2LIGA
1 May 2013Barcelona 0 - FC Bayern München 3UCL
27 Apr 2013Athletic de Bilbao 2 - Barcelona 2LIGA
Odds
Returns: Levante £150.00 BetVictor Sign up today with BetVictor and get a £25 FREE BET!
Returns: Draw £50.00 WilliamHill Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25
Returns: Barcelona £13.00 BetVictor Sign up today with BetVictor and get a £25 FREE BET!
Team News
Available Squads
1Gustavo Adolfo MunúaGoalkeeper
12Juan García GarcíaDefender
7NanoDefender
18BallesterosDefender
17Javier Rodríguez VentaDefender
43Xavi TorresMidfielder
-PallardóDefender
10IborraMidfielder
-XiscoMidfielder
25Felipe CaicedoStriker
23ValdoMidfielder
-Rubén SuárezStriker
-LarreaMidfielder
-Jefferson Antonio MonteroMidfielder
2CerraDefender
1Manolo ReinaGoalkeeper
18StuaniStriker
5Héctor RodasDefender
1Víctor ValdésGoalkeeper
22Éric AbidalDefender
3PiquéDefender
14Javier MascheranoMidfielder
2Daniel AlvesDefender
-Seydou KeitaMidfielder
6XaviMidfielder
16BusquetsMidfielder
7David VillaStriker
10Lionel MessiStriker
20Ibrahim AfellayMidfielder
-Andreu Fontàs PratDefender
32BartraDefender
7Jeffrén SuárezMidfielder
17PedroStriker
11Thiago AlcántaraMidfielder
8Andrés Iniesta LujánMidfielder
13José Pinto ColoradoGoalkeeper
Players to Watch
Gustavo Adolfo Munúa
Gustavo Adolfo Munúa
Position: Goalkeeper
Squad Number: 1
Games Goals YC RC
29 0 3 0
Goalkeeper Gustavo Munua will feel that Wednesday night’s encounter is liable to be a busy one for him. A 25-time capped player with the Uruguayan national team, he has become used to playing behind a somewhat erratic defence, and the likelihood is that he will require a monumental performance if he is to keep a clean sheet.
Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi
Position: Striker
Squad Number: 10
Games Goals YC RC
32 46 1 0
Lionel Messi is in a battle with Cristiano Ronaldo over the Pichichi trophy, which the Portuguese made a leap at with four goals against Sevilla at the weekend. While the diminutive Argentine does not seem to have the same focus on that goal, he would certainly love to be crowned the league’s top scorer once more, and he will be targeting goals against Levante.
Probable Lineups
Gustavo Adolfo Munúa 1
Juan García García 12
Nano 7
Ballesteros 18
Javier Rodríguez Venta 17
Xavi Torres 43
Pallardó 0
Iborra 10
Xisco 0
Felipe Caicedo 25
Valdo 23
Víctor Valdés 1
Éric Abidal 22
Piqué 3
Javier Mascherano 14
Daniel Alves 2
Seydou Keita 0
Xavi 6
Busquets 16
David Villa 7
Lionel Messi 10
Ibrahim Afellay 20
Prediction
It would be a colossal upset if Levante were to prevent Barcelona from claiming three points on Wednesday night. Though the home side have moved well into the middle region of the table, Pep Guardiola’s men represent a massive challenge, and Barca will be looking to mark this occasion in style.
Editor's Prediction
Levante 0
Barcelona 3
Results
ALL MATCHES >>
 
Top Scorers
Player   Goals Penalties
Lionel Messi Lionel Messi
Striker
Barcelona 		46 4
Cristiano Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo
Striker
Real Madrid 		34 6
Radamel Falcao Radamel Falcao
Striker
Atlético Madrid 		28 8
Roberto Soldado Roberto Soldado
Striker
Valencia 		21 5
Negredo Negredo
Striker
Sevilla 		20 3

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