Barcelona face their final away test of the season on Sunday as they continue their quest to go the entire La Liga campaign unbeaten.
The Catalan side last lost a league game on April 8, 2017, when they were beaten 2-0 by Malaga, and have already set the all-time record for unbeaten games, with 43 games undefeated since that day.
On the back of a fiery Clasico last weekend, Ernesto Valverde can overcome arguably their toughest challenge left of the season - their final away game at Levante - before they host Real Sociedad, whose unbeaten record they broke, next weekend at the Nou Camp.
Despite that, Valverde still reflected on the club's failure to progress beyond the Champions League quarter-finals in the build-up to the game, while admitting he had enjoyed a strong first season at the club.
Villarreal gave champions Barcelona a guard of honour
"In this club you are expected to win everything," Valverde said. "We have not won everything but it is also true we had difficulties at the start of the season and we have exceeded many expectations.
"We had a terrible day in Rome in the Champions League and that has hung over us. But still, it has been a great season."
Levante's rise from the ashes has saved them from relegation, with five wins from six taking them away from the bottom three to relative safety.
Much of that has been down to new head coach Paco Lopez, who took over at the start of March, and has seen his team lose only once, to Atletico Madrid, since that time.
"It was important to change the dynamics but I don't know what changed so much," Lopez said. "What we have is attitude and commitment and that has been the key."
Team news
Sergi Roberto will be banned following his clash with Marcelo against Real Madrid last weekend, while Samuel Umtiti is a doubt with a knee problem.
For Levante, left-back Tono and midfielder Chieck Doukoure will both miss the game through injury.
Levante vs Barcelona, La Liga: Team News, Match Preview
The champions are 180 minutes away from immortality as they embark on the last road trip of the season
Competition/Round: 2017-18 La Liga, Matchday 37
Barcelona team news: Lionel Messi (out, rest), Sergi Roberto (out, suspension), Samuel Umtiti (out, knee), Aleix Vidal (out, ignored)
Levante team news: Cheick Doukouré, Toño (out, injury)
Date/Time: Sunday, May 13th, 2018, 8.45pm CET (Barcelona), 7.45pm GMT/WAT (UK & Nigeria), 2.45pm EST, 11.45am PST (USA), 12.15am IST (India, next day)
Venue: Estadio Ciutat de València, València, Spain
Referee: Mario Melero López
How to watch on TV: beIN SPORTS En Español (USA, Canada - Spanish), Sky Sports Football (UK), SONY TEN 2 (India), SuperSport 7 (Nigeria), others
How to stream: beIN SPORTS CONNECT (USA, Canada), Sky GO (UK), FuboTV (7-day free trial, click here to sign up)
We are now very, very close to the end of the season in Europe. It’s always a little bit sad, especially because we’ll be without our favorite team playing meaningful matches for almost three months, but winning titles and making history makes things a little easier.
Barcelona have won two titles this season and are just 180 minutes away from history: the first team in Spanish football to go an entire league campaign without a loss. Being the first Invincibles in Spain would be pretty fun, and Barça need just two draws to make it happen.
But this is Barça, and draws don’t cut it. We’ll be looking to win, and Sunday promises to be a tough one to win as the Blaugrana travel to in-form Levante, who have won four in a row and are playing some really good stuff under manager Paco López. Barça will also be without Lionel Messi, who is rested for this one, so the other many stars on the team have to pick up the slack and lead the champions to a victory.
If they win (or draw, but we don’t want that), they’ll be just 90 minutes away from immortality.
POSSIBLE LINEUPS
Barcelona (4-4-2): Ter Stegen; Semedo, Mina, Vermaelen, Alba; Dembélé, Paulinho, Rakitic, Coutinho; Suárez, Alcácer
Levante (4-4-2): Oier; Coke, Postigo, Chema, Luna; Bardhi, Lerma, Campaña, Morales; Jason, Boateng
PREDICTION
Levante are rolling, but we should be too much for them, even without Messi: 3-1 Barça.
Nenhum comentário:
Postar um comentário