Vilanova: "We know how difficult the Levante match will be" | FC Barcelona
Tito Vilanova has once again emphasised that there are no easy games in the league, especially when it comes to Sunday’s opponents. "Levante always play with a striker upfront. They’ve draw one and lost two of their home games, against Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid, but they’ve won the rest.
Thiago and Adriano return from injury, Villa out | FC Barcelona
Twenty players – 18 from the first team squad plus Oier and Tello from Barça B - will make the trip down to Valencia to face Levante on Sunday. Thiago and Adriano are back in contention after receiving the go-ahead from Club doctors on Saturday while David Villa drops out due to a left ankle problem. Only 18 players can be included in the final squad so Vilanova will have to rule out two players before kick-off (9 pm).
Andrés Iniesta overtakes Guillermo Amor to reach sixth place in the ranking of all-time Barça appearances. | FC Barcelona
Just a few weeks after celebrating the tenth anniversary of his first Barça appearance, Andrés Iniesta could make it 422 first team run-outs if he plays this Sunday against Levante. If he does so, he’ll overtake another Barça legend, Guillermo Amor (421), to take sixth position in the ranking of players with the most first team appearances.
Spotlight on Levante (season 2012/13) | FC Barcelona
Levante had their best season in their 103 year history last year, making a great start to the campaign that actually saw them leading for a couple of weeks early on. With a relatively small budget and using many players cast off from bigger teams, Levante provided a breath of fresh air and many Spanish fans were pleased to see them getting a place in the Europa Leagu
Real Madrid beaten by Benat strike - Yahoo! Eurosport UK
Real Madrid's faltering title defence deteriorated further with a shock 1-0 defeat at Real Betis, leaving them eight points behind rivals Barcelona and having played a game more in La Liga. Hammered 5-1 by local rivals Sevilla last weekend, Betis enjoyed a famous victory at home against Jose Mourinho's mighty side, as a lovely 17th-minute finish from Spain international Benat was enough to inflict a third defeat of the season on Madrid.
'The referee was hugely at fault' - Mourinho attacks officials after Real Madrid's defeat at Betis - Goal.com
"After a difficult week and some conflict with his players, the Betis fans have helped [coach Pepe Mel’s] team win," Mourinho told reporters after the match. "I've congratulated the Betis players because they left everything on the pitch and fought with a spirit of sacrifice. "[The referee] was hugely at fault for a wrongly disallowed Benzema goal and a clear penalty in the closing minutes. But [Betis] deserve my respect because they outplayed Real Madrid."
Mourinho's blame game isn't helping as La Liga looks lost for Real Madrid - Goal.com
There could be no excuses, claimed Jose Mourinho after Real Madrid's 1-0 defeat to Betis on Saturday night. But the Portuguese the proceded to list a series of reasons for his side's loss in Seville - the referee, a lack of rest, his players' fitness, the calendar and so on. Everyone else, it seemed, was at fault.
Malaga go fourth following Valencia rout - Yahoo! Eurosport UK
Malaga moved into the top four in La Liga after comprehensively dominating Valencia to win 4-0 at La Rosaleda. Valencia's draw against Bayern Munich in midweek meant that both sides had qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League but it was Malaga who secured an important victory on Saturday night in the battle to reach the continent's premier competition next season.
Late goals sees Vallecano down Mallorca - Yahoo! Eurosport UK
Leo Baptistao home into the lower left of the net after getting a pass from Nacho and finishing the move with a right foot in the 87th minute. The striker then assisted Andrija Delibasic's goal in the 90th minute.
Valladolid edge past Granada - Yahoo! Eurosport UK
Real Valladolid scored the deciding goal in the 63rd minute. Manucho slotted home into the lower right of the net after intercepting Mikel Rico's pass and finishing the move with a left-footed shot. With 18 points Real Valladolid trail Real Betis by one for the final Europa League spot, and have compiled a record of five wins, five losses and three draws on the season.