🔈 Can the "Blaugrana" maintain their inspiring winning streak? The defending champions have kicked off the season on a high note with a commanding 3-0 victory over Mallorca. Their next challenge takes them to the "Ciutat de València" for the second round of La Liga, where Hansi Flick and his squad will face a test. The "Frogs" suffered a heartbreaking draw last weekend, conceding a goal in the 92nd minute. Bookmakers find little intrigue in this matchup, offering the following odds: Levante win – 9.5, Barcelona victory – 1.27.

Head-to-Head

📊 Let's take a look back at their last encounter during the 2021/22 La Liga season. The match at the "Ciudad de Valencia" saw Barca secure a comeback victory with a 3-0 scoreline. Over the last 25 head-to-head clashes, Levante have claimed 3 victories, while the Blaugrana have emerged triumphant 19 times. The average goal tally for each side throughout their head-to-head history stands at 1.18 for Levante and 2.98 for Barcelona.

Levante UD Team Overview

🔴 The trip to "Mendizorrotza" in the opening round of the Spanish championship was promising, despite the final result (a 1-2 defeat). It was only Nahuel Tenaglia's goal in the 92nd minute that secured Alaves a hard-fought home victory. Let's not forget, the team from Valencia hadn't featured in La Liga for the past three seasons, making the upcoming home clash against Barcelona especially anticipated by the club's fans.

📌 Head coach José Calero of the "Frogs" is a notably pragmatic strategist. In the last round, his nominal starting formation was a 5-4-1, emphasizing width through wing-backs. However, this often shifted to a 5-3-2, with Ivan Romero and Victor Garcia leading the attack. Levante's main issue remains a lack of defensive compactness and errors in build-up play. This is precisely where Barcelona might leave no trace of the league newcomers.

Barcelona Team Overview

🔵 The Blaugrana kicked off the new La Liga campaign with a commanding 3-0 victory over Mallorca. The attacking trio of Raphinha, Ferran Torres, and Lamine Yamal each found the back of the net. However, many believe the Catalan side should have been even more convincing, especially considering Mallorca were reduced to nine men from the 39th minute after two players were sent off.

🔴 This season, fans expect further progress and a push for all possible trophies from Hansi Flick and his squad. However, they'll need to hold off on home matches for a bit. The issue lies with ongoing renovation work at the Camp Nou. The Blaugrana's management has even reached out to UEFA with a request to play their opening Champions League match away from home. If the stadium isn't ready within the next month, Barcelona has already arranged with city authorities to use the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys until the end of February.

Latest news

Levante UD

🏷 Ahead of La Liga's second round, Levante have strengthened their squad with the addition of 24-year-old forward Iker Losada from Betis. Last season, Losada spent the second half on loan at Celta, where he managed just one goal in 12 La Liga appearances. However, this signing seems reasonable for building squad depth and ensuring rotation throughout the season.

🎤 Jeremy Toljan, who scored Levante's first goal of the new season, recently shared his thoughts on joining the team: “I feel really good. My teammates are just incredible; it's clear that this is a very tight-knit group. Everyone is very kind and jokes around a lot, which made it easy for me to fit in. You can feel the unity; everyone is together. This is evident from the teammates, the entire staff, and the fans. Everyone is very supportive of the team. I'm looking forward to our first home match of the season—everyone has told me the atmosphere there is really fantastic.”

❌ Valencia's side still have Alfonso Pastor, the backup goalkeeper, sidelined in the infirmary. Kerwin Arriaga (leg injury), Godwin Koyalipu (ankle injury), Alan Matturro (thigh injury), and Jon Ander Olasagasti (leg injury) all remain doubtful for participation.

Barcelona

📰 Recently, the Catalan side successfully extended the contract of one of their key players, with Jules Kounde's deal now running until 2030. The French national team defender had this to say: "I'm very happy to have extended my contract. It was quite easy. Reaching an agreement was straightforward for both me and the club. As they say, there's always room for improvement. That's my goal. We're fortunate to be in a club that competes for every trophy. We'll strive for more to win even more than last season. It's a pleasure to play so many matches for Barcelona. I hope I can break Abidal's record for the most appearances by a French player at the club."

🎤 Interestingly, Hansi Flick was completely dissatisfied with his team's performance in their 3-0 victory over Mallorca: "I didn't like the match. My team played at 50%, and that shouldn't happen. I need to have a serious talk with the players. The second half was poor, and we need to be 100% focused. If we have chances to score, we need to take them."

❌ In the Blaugrana's medical room, Marc Bernal (knee injury) and Marc-André ter Stegen (back injury) remain sidelined. The latter seems to be entirely out of this season's plans.

🟨 Yellow Card Prediction

🟨 Yellow Card Prediction

In the head-to-head clashes between these teams, there are around 4.4 cautions per match (with Levante slightly edging it at 2.3 to 2.1). Notably, in each of the last 5 encounters, there have been no more than 4 yellow cards. Both clubs are known for their non-aggressive style of play, which leads us to the following bet – total yellow cards under 4.5.

⚽ Goal Prediction

Unimpressed with his team's performance in the opening round, Hansi Flick is likely to make adjustments to the lineup for the upcoming match. Moreover, they face a favorable opponent – in each of the last 3 head-to-head matches, the Blaugrana have scored at least 3 goals. As previously noted, Barcelona's average scoring rate against Levante stands at a remarkable 2.98 goals per game. Our choice is – Barcelona's individual total over 2.5 goals.

🚩 Corner Prediction

Barcelona's attacking flanks are intimidating for any opponent. The pace and dribbling skills of Lamine Yamal create a significant number of opportunities in front of the opposition's goal. In the first-round match, the Blaugrana earned 6 corners. In head-to-head meetings with Levante, they manage an average of 6.7 corners per game. Thus, we suggest a well-founded betting option – Barcelona's individual total corners over (6).

Our editorial team wouldn't expect any surprises in this matchup. The Blaugrana possess significantly superior resources and an impressive class of players, which should be the decisive factor in determining the winner of this clash. The head-to-head statistics only reinforce this view. A final score of 1-3 seems quite plausible. The key choice is Barcelona's victory with a -1.5 handicap.