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Levante Tackle Barcelona In Copa Del Rey

While we tend to focus primarily on the world of English football, it’s time for a fresh change of pace. We’re going to be stepping back and having a look at Spanish football, and let’s face it, this should be a more regular occurrence. La Liga is littered with some of the top clubs to be found across Europe, and on top of that, they also have one of the most entertaining cup competitions on the planet: the Copa del Rey. The two-legged format ensures that it closely resembles the Champions League and Europa League, so it shouldn’t really surprise us that they’re so consistent in it on a year by year basis.

The tie that we’re going to be looking at today is Levante vs Barcelona, and while this isn’t exactly a David vs Goliath scenario, it may as well be. Barca are considered to be the almighty rulers of the game over there, even with Real’s recent surge in the UCL. Levante, on the other hand, are a side that many of you probably wouldn’t have watched before – and if you aren’t interested in the Spanish game, then you probably still won’t. Alas, we’re still excited to see what goes down, if only because the stereotype of cup football causing upsets rings true no matter where you are.

Levante have had a relatively inconsistent season so far to say the least, as they’re currently situated in 10th place in La Liga. They’re lingering closer to the relegation zone than the European spots at this moment in time, but perhaps excelling in that manner isn’t even their goal. If they can put all of their energy into the games against Barca, coming out with a fortunate trip to the quarter finals, then their route into Europe could go through this very competition.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTpP6KPqr6E

Barca, on the other hand, are busy doing Barca things. They’re five points clear at the top of the league and, to be perfectly honest, there’s no reason to believe that’s going to change anytime soon. They have arguably the most complete squad in world football today and they continue to try and improve it at every available turn, and we honestly wouldn’t rule out a ‘treble’ winning season for them this year. It’d take a lot of hard work but that’s not exactly new to them, and they’ve certainly got the depth necessary to pull it off.

Levante certainly know how to keep the fans on their toes, and their last six game stretch serves as proof of that. They kicked i off with an emphatic 3-0 triumph over Athletic Bilbao, before easing to a 2-0 victory in their fourth round Copa del Rey tie against Lugo. They went on to produce one of the games of the season in a 4-4 draw against Eibar, before coming up against Barca in the league – which is a game we’ll touch on later. A 2-1 loss against Rayo Vallecano soon followed, before another entertaining draw, this time against Girona.

Of course, things have been a bit more routine for the almighty Barca as you may expect. Their last six game stretch began with a 4-1 win over Cultural Leones in the Copa del Rey, confirming their place in this tie. They went on to dismantle Espanyol 4-0, before a rare home draw against Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League. They then came up against Levante in something of a preview of this encounter, before registering two more convincing wins against Celta Vigo and Getafe. So, basically, business as usual.

In terms of the game we just mentioned, there isn’t all too much to shout about if you’re a Levante fan. They hosted Barca just before Christmas and they really struggled to get going, with goals from Suarez and Messi giving them the lead heading into the half time interval. Two more goals after the break ensured that Messi got his hat trick, before an Erick Cabaco made the day go from bad to worse for the home side. Gerard Pique completed the 5-0 rout, and when we look ahead to their cup meeting, it’s fair to say that it’ll be difficult for Levante to play quite as poorly as they did just a few short weeks ago.

Levante will be looking ahead to the game against Atletico Madrid, knowing that if they play to their potential in that one, there’s a chance they could come away with a positive result. Because of that, a handful of key players could be rested for this one, including Morales and Marti. That may be controversial given some fans would urge the club to value the cup, but on the bright side, Borja Mayoral is expected to play some kind of role.

Big changes are expected from Barca, which you’d probably expect given the nature of their schedule over the course of the next few weeks – if not months. Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi, who tormented Levante in their meeting last month, are both expected to be rested. Denis Suarez and Munir are both set to play some kind of role in this one, with Juan Brandariz also being tipped for an appearance. When it comes to Denis Suarez, though, there’s a good chance this could be his final appearance for the club as the speculation continues over whether or not he’ll leave during the January transfer window.

Levante vs Barcelona Betting Prediction

With the home crowd behind them it’s going to be difficult for Levante not to charge forward from the word go in search of an opener. In truth we don’t think that’s the worst idea in the world, but for their sake, we just hope they’ve spent some time analysing their last meeting with the Spanish giants so that they can learn from their mistakes. If they’re able to hold out defensively and really get in the face of their opposition, then we can see Levante keeping them out until half time.

Alas, if the big boys aren’t already on the pitch then they almost certainly will be after a goalless first half, which will almost certainly swing the momentum of the game in their direction. We can see Barca scoring two quick fire goals to pretty much put the tie on ice, as it’s very rare they get beaten at the Nou Camp. A 2-0 defeat wouldn’t be the worst outcome in the world for Levante but if they find themselves in that position towards the end of the game, then they may as well just throw men forward in search of a consolation. You never know, it could be the difference maker in the second leg.