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FULL-TIME, Levante 0-5 Barcelona: WHAT. A. PERFORMANCE. Well done, boys. Amazing. Just amazing.
GOAL!!!!! Levante 0-5 Barcelona (Piqué 88’): IT’S FIVE!!!! Another counter attack ends the game, as Messi assists Gerard Piqué for the fifth of the match. What a performance!!!
GOAL!!!!! Levante 0-4 Barcelona (Messi 60’): IT’S FOUR FOR BARÇA!!! It’s a beautiful passing move from the Blaugrana, with Luis Suárez crossing the ball to Arturo Vidal, who then gives Messi a tap-in for his hat-trick. This is turning into a destruction, and it's really fun to watch.
GOAL!!!! Levante 0-3 Barcelona (Messi 47’): IT’S THREE FOR BARÇA!!! A perfect start to the second half as Luis Suárez starts the counter attack and finds Jordi Alba, who assists Messi for his second and Barça’s third. This is now over.
SECOND HALF KICKOFF! Levante 0-2 Barcelona: Let’s finish the job, boys!
HALFTIME, Levante 0-2 Barcelona: It was a really tough game for 35 minutes, and then Messi assisted a goal and scored another. It’s good to have Messi in your team.
GOAL!!!! Levante 0-2 Barcelona (Messi 43’): BARÇA DOUBLE THE LEAD! Sergio Busquets plays a fantastic through ball to put Lionel Messi one on one with the goalkeeper, and the captain doesn’t waste his chance. It’s a huge goal before halftime, and Barça deserve it.
GOAL!!!! Levante 0-1 Barcelona (Suárez 35’): BARÇA TAKE THE LEAD! Lionel Messi plays a brilliant pass to find Luis Suárez inside the box, and the Uruguayan scores a gorgeous volley to put his team ahead!
KICKOFF! Levante 0-0 Barcelona: Come on, boys! Don’t give me a heart attack. Please.
SEMEDO OUT: Barcelona have announced Nélson Semedo will not be available to play against Levante due to issues with his left knee. They call it a “bruise”, so it’s quite possibly just a precaution. That’s why Barça are starting three at the back, with Ousmane Dembélé probably as a wing-back on the right side.
LINEUPS
*****
BARCELONA
Starting XI: Ter Stegen; Piqué, Lenglet, Vermaelen; Dembélé, Rakitic, Busquets, Vidal, Alba; Messi, Suárez (3-5-2)
Bench: Cillessen, Miranda, Arthur, Aleñá, Denis, Coutinho, Munir
LEVANTE
Starting XI: Oier; Rober, Postigo, Cabaco; Jason, Bardhi, Campaña, Toño; Rochina, Boateng, Morales (3-4-3)
Bench: Fernández, Mayoral, Chema, Simon, Prcic, Martí, Coke
IT’S LA LIGA SUNDAY!!! Barcelona are back in action with a big road game against Levante in València. The Blaugrana need the win to stay three points clear of Atlético Madrid at the top of the table, but this won’t be easy. Levante are having a good season, and they beat Barça the last time these teams faced off in the league. This should be a fun game, and join us for a fun LIVE BLOG!
(Note: the comments will be open only when the team news come out, because our commenter people love commenting and sometimes there are too many comments in the comments section)
MATCH INFO
Competition/Round: 2018-19 La Liga, Matchday 16
Date/Time: Sunday, December 16, 2018, 8.45pm CET/WAT (Barcelona & Nigeria), 7.45pm GMT (UK), 2.45pm ET, 11.45am PT (USA), 1.15am IST (India, Monday)
Venue: Estadio Ciutat de València, València, Spain
Referee: José Luis González González
HOW TO WATCH, STREAM LA LIGA
How to watch on TV: beIN SPORTS (USA & Canada), Eleven Sports 1 (UK), SuperSport 7 (Nigeria), others
How to stream: beIN SPORTS CONNECT (USA & Canada), others
Matchday Thread Rules
We don’t have a lot of rules here, but there are a few things to keep in mind when joining our matchday threads:
Even if the referee sucks or we lose the game, no swearing. It’s just unnecessary. Also, don’t discuss illegal streaming links. Those who do it will be warned, and those who post links will be instantly banned. Finally, be nice to each other. This is a Barcelona community and we don’t need to offend one another.
Have fun with the game! Forever and ever, no matter the competition, VISCA EL BARÇA!