Barca Blaugranes - La Liga: FC Barcelona vs Levante: Full Match Coverage#GraciesTitohttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47187/barca-fave.png2013-04-20T22:38:06+02:00http://www.barcablaugranes.com/rss/stream/40092992013-04-20T22:38:06+02:002013-04-20T22:38:06+02:00La Liga: Barcelona 1-0 Levante: Match Review
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<figcaption>David Ramos</figcaption>
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<p>A recap of Barcelona's 1-0 win over Levante, which moved the Blaugrana to within six points of the 2012-13 La Liga title</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">A late goal from Cesc Fàbregas was enough to secure the three points for FC <a href="https://www.barcablaugranes.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Barcelona</a> on Saturday night, who moved one step closer to the La Liga title with a narrow 1-0 win over <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/la-liga/teams/levante" class="sbn-auto-link">Levante</a> at the Camp Nou. The Barcelona defense – marshalled by <span>Eric Abidal</span> who started his first match in over a year – kept the Levante attack at bay for the entire 90 minutes, as surprisingly the free-scoring Barça attack struggled to create chances of their own. However, they were able to reap the rewards of their staggering 80% possession in the final stages of the match, as a tiring Levante defense allowed Cesc Fàbregas too much time and space in the area – leading to the Catalan’s 10<sup>th</sup> La Liga goal of the season.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt;"><b>Barcelona</b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt;"><b>Levante</b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt;"><b>80%</b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt;"><b>20%</b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt;"><b>Total Shots</b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt;"><b>18</b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt;"><b>4</b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt;"><b>Shots on Target</b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt;"><b>9</b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt;"><b>0</b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt;"><b>Pass Accuracy</b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt;"><b>92%</b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt;"><b>62%</b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt;"><b>Fouls</b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt;"><b>13</b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt;"><b>6</b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt;"><b>Offsides</b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt;"><b>0</b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt;"><b>3</b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt;"><b>Yellow Cards</b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt;"><b>1</b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt;"><b>2</b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt;"><b>0</b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110061/lionel-messi" class="sbn-auto-link">Lionel Messi</a> missed out through injury, although the Argentine is expected to be fit in time for Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League semi-final first-leg with Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena, and he was joined on the sidelines by Gerard Piqué and <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110457/jonathan-dos-santos" class="sbn-auto-link">Jonathan dos Santos</a>, who were both left out of the squad for technical reasons. However, there was good news as Eric Abidal made his first La Liga start since 26 February 2012, when Barça triumphed by two goals to one, courtesy of a brace from Lionel Messi. Would Abidal’s presence in the heart of defense be able to inspire the Blaugrana to another home victory, or would Levante be able to rain on the proverbial Barça parade?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Within minutes of the start, Eric Abidal was forced into action, and while the Frenchman may be lacking a little match fitness, he proved that he’s still able to read the game as well as he ever was; cutting out a potentially dangerous Levante attack. In fact, judging by Abidal’s start to the match, one could be forgiven for thinking that he’d never been away – everything looked to be so effortlessly easy for Abi. Maybe Abidal fancied his chances at a starting berth for Tuesday’s match against Bayern Munich?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Certainly, with Abidal in such superb form, the Barcelona defense looked to be coping with the minimal Levante threat (since the departure of top-scorer <span>Obafemi Martins</span> to the Seattle Sounders, Levante have scored just three goals in all competitions), although typically, just as one aspect of the team looked to be finding form, another crucial aspect appeared to lose their magic touch. Yes, Barcelona were without Lionel Messi, and yes, they probably had Bayern Munich in mind, but the Barça offense was struggling to breakdown the Levante defense. Cristian Tello was misplacing a number of passes, <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110874/david-villa" class="sbn-auto-link">David Villa</a> was bizarrely stationed on the right-flank while this Cesc Fàbregas couldn’t have possibly been the same Cesc Fàbregas that destroyed <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/la-liga/teams/mallorca" class="sbn-auto-link">Mallorca</a> just a few weeks ago. The only Barça players that looked moderately dangerous were Thiago and Andrés Iniesta; and thanks to their efforts, Barcelona could and perhaps should have broken the deadlock.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Thiago was the first to impose himself on the match, drawing a save out of Levante keeper Keylor Navas, but Andrés Iniesta took it one step further, winning a questionable penalty kick on 16 minutes after a challenge from Pape Diop. Whether it was a penalty or not is beyond the point; Undiano Mallenco pointed to the spot, and ultimately his opinion was the only one that mattered; it was down to Barcelona to capitalise on this glorious opportunity.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">And they couldn’t.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">David Villa stepped up and everyone expected the net to ripple – surely a player with his record in front of goal would make the most of this chance? Maybe it was karma for the soft penalty decision? Whatever the reason, it was a tame effort from El Guaje, and Cesc Fàbregas couldn’t convert the rebound either. Levante would live to fight another day so to speak, while Barça would have to find another way to break the resistance of this disciplined defense.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110098/dani-alves" class="sbn-auto-link">Dani Alves</a> came close to opening the scoring with 34 minutes on the clock, testing Navas with a vicious long-range free-kick; while it was nice to have chances from set-pieces, it was a little worrying that Barça couldn’t create a clear-cut chance from open play. And as a result, the two teams headed into the dressing rooms tied at half-time; after 45 minutes, it was still goalless at the Camp Nou.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Despite the scoreline, we had to wait 20 minutes for the first shot of the second-half, by which point Barcelona had already made their first substitution of the night as Xavi Hernández replaced Andrés Iniesta in midfield. <span>Tito Vilanova</span> clearly had one eye on the match against Bayern, but he also knew that a win would move Barça within six points of the La Liga title; while a point wasn’t the worst result, a win would obviously be better. So, on came Pedro Rodriguez and Alexis Sánchez, in place of Thiago and Tello respectively – and finally, with less than 15 minutes remaining, Barcelona would begin to exert a sustained period of pressure on the Levante goal.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Aside from wasteful efforts from both Xavi and Alves, Barça hadn’t registered a single shot in the second-half, but with fresh legs on either side of attack, that was all about to change. Barcelona was just mere minutes away from taking a well-deserved lead. And how’s this for irony – Cesc Fàbregas was the scorer, converting with aplomb after a superb low cross from Alexis Sánchez, who has now assisted 12 goals in this supposedly sub-par season. It wasn’t the greatest goal, nor had it been the best performance of the season, but it didn’t matter one iota. Barcelona held on for a narrow win, moving to within six points of the title in the process. Assuming they emerge victorious against Athletic Bilbao next weekend, Barcelona can secure the La Liga title in two weeks time when they host <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/la-liga/teams/real-betis" class="sbn-auto-link">Real Betis</a>, and if <a href="https://www.managingmadrid.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Real Madrid</a> slump to an unexpected Madrid derby, Barça could even wrap up the title in a week’s time.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Not only that, but the 1-0 victory ensured that Barcelona kept their third successive La Liga clean sheet and Eric Abidal completed the full 90 minutes – a huge morale-boost heading into next week’s match with Bayern Munich. Until then, Visca el Barça!</p>
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https://www.barcablaugranes.com/2013/4/20/4246682/la-liga-fc-barcelona-1-0-levante-match-reviewArron Duckling2013-04-20T19:32:05+02:002013-04-20T19:32:05+02:00La Liga: Barcelona vs Levante: Live Game Thread
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<figcaption>David Ramos</figcaption>
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<p>Live game thread for the La Liga game between FC Barcelona and Levante</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><br>La Liga: Jornada 32<br>Kickoff: Saturday, 20 April 2013; 20:00 CET<br>Camp Nou, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.barcablaugranes.com/">Barcelona</a><br>Referee: Alberto Undiano Mallenco</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Line-ups:</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">FC Barcelona (4-3-3): Victor Valdes; <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110098/dani-alves">Dani Alves</a>, Adriano Correia, <span>Eric Abidal</span> (!), <span>Martin Montoya</span>; <span>Alex Song</span>, Andres Iniesta, Thiago Alcantara; Cristian Tello, <span>Cesc Fabregas</span>, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110874/david-villa">David Villa</a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Substitutes: Jose Manuel Pinto, <span>Marc Bartra</span>, <span>Jordi Alba</span>, <span>Sergio Busquets</span>, Xavi Hernandez, Alexis Sanchez, Pedro Rodriguez</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/la-liga/teams/levante">Levante</a> (4-2-3-1): Keylor Navas; Pedro Lopez, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110315/loukas-vyntra">Loukas Vyntra</a>, David Navarro, Juanfran; Pape Diop, Mate Simao; Nabil El Zhar, Jose Barkero, Ruben Garcia; <span>Robert Acquafresca</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Substitutes: TBA</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"> </p>
https://www.barcablaugranes.com/2013/4/20/4246140/la-liga-fc-barcelona-vs-levante-live-game-threadArron Duckling2013-04-20T09:19:40+02:002013-04-20T09:19:40+02:00Predict the Score: Barcelona vs Levante
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<figcaption>Manuel Queimadelos Alonso</figcaption>
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<p>A chance to predict the score of tonight's La Liga clash between FC Barcelona and Levante</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Depending on the result in tonight's early kick-off at the Santiago Bernabeu, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.barcablaugranes.com/">Barcelona</a> could move to within three points of the La Liga title tonight - provided they defeat <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/la-liga/teams/levante">Levante</a> at the Camp Nou. In fact, if Barcelona maintain their 100% home record against Levante, they will move to within two wins of the title, regardless of the result between Real Madrid and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/la-liga/teams/real-betis">Real Betis</a>. But just imagine the boost it would give the Blaugrana if they could secure the La Liga title next weekend, between each leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final with Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Barcelona also enter tonight's match with another milestone within reach: with two goals tonight (Barcelona around 3.5 goals per home league match at the Camp Nou) Barca will reach 100 league goals for the season, for just the fourth time in their history. Given that the Blaugrana have scored in 42 successive league matches at the Camp Nou, it's a record that's realistically within reach; even if <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110061/lionel-messi">Lionel Messi</a> does miss out through injury. Assuming the Argentine doesn't feature in either tonight's match, or next week's fixture against Athletic Bilbao at San Mames, he may struggle to surpass his record of 50 goals in a single league campaign - although I'm sure a winners medal will more than compensate for that.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">So, will Barcelona move one step closer to the La Liga title, or will Juan Ignacio Martinez' side be able to shock the Blaugrana before their crucial trip to Germany? Predict the score of tonight's match by voting in our poll, and commenting with your prediction below. Best of luck!</p>
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https://www.barcablaugranes.com/2013/4/20/4245264/la-liga-fc-barcelona-vs-levante-predict-the-scoreArron Duckling2013-04-19T23:11:45+02:002013-04-19T23:11:45+02:00La Liga: Barcelona vs Levante: Match Preview
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<figcaption>David Ramos</figcaption>
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<p>A preview of Barcelona's La Liga clash with Levante at the Camp Nou</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">FC Barcelona take on <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/la-liga/teams/levante">Levante</a> tomorrow in La Liga action, as the Blaugrana look to move three points closer to securing the title before they take on Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena next Tuesday evening. In some ways, the league title has almost taken a back-seat; barring a disastrous loss of form, Barça will be crowned La Liga champions for the fourth time in the past five seasons, so what’s really to be gained from focusing on the remaining games rather than the exciting, upcoming UEFA Champions League semi-final with the Bundesliga champions? Well, depending on <span>Tito Vilanova</span>’s selection for tomorrow’s match, how does a glimpse into <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.barcablaugranes.com/">Barcelona</a>’s future sound?</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><b>TEAM NEWS</b></p>
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<p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><b>BARCELONA</b></p>
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<p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal">With Bayern Munich to contend with next Tuesday, Tito Vilanova is expected to rotate his squad tomorrow and give a number of fringe players a chance to shine, but the biggest news surrounds <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110061/lionel-messi">Lionel Messi</a> who has fully recovered from his thigh injury, and therefore could make a cameo appearance before heading to Germany. Whether he should is a totally different matter; some might not be comfortable seeing Messi in action, especially knowing that Leo is probably the only player capable of leading us past Bayern (after all, Roura revealed today that Puyol is not going to be making a surprise comeback at the Allianz...). Anyway, there’s no squad list for tomorrow’s match, and somewhat surprisingly, Oier Olazabal is the only B team player training with the squad, so, maybe Tito isn’t planning to rest absolutely everyone ahead of the trip to Munich?</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal">Certainly, Victor Valdés will start in goal, and thanks to his clean sheet last weekend against Real <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/la-liga/teams/zaragoza">Zaragoza</a>, Barcelona were able to keep their second successive La Liga clean sheet – their first consecutive shut-out of the season. On one hand, it’s a pretty spectacular record; to think Barcelona almost secured the league title before they kept two successive clean sheets...well, that has to be unprecedented, but at least Barça are finally showing us they know how to defend. And not a moment too soon; the entire Blaugrana defense will have to be at the peak of their powers to stop Bayern Munich on Tuesday.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal">Speaking of, just who will start in the back-four tomorrow? My money is on <span>Martin Montoya</span> to start at right-back, with <span>Jordi Alba</span> starting on the opposite flank. Normally, I wouldn’t want Alba to start in such close proximity to another huge game, but Alves needs his rest, and really, there’s not anyone else who can do the job. Adriano is a candidate, but the Brazilian may be required at centre-half, although one might argue that <span>Marc Bartra</span> and Gerard Piqué should start together in the heart of defense – assuming Tito is planning on starting the two Catalans against Bayern. If Tito wants to keep Piqué and/or Bartra fresh, one could easily start alongside Adriano, with the other coming on as a substitute in the second-half. Perhaps Marc Muniesa could start? He was a member of the first-team squad prior to his unfortunate pre-season knee injury...</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal">At pivote, <span>Sergio Busquets</span> is likely to be sidelined with a hernia – and even if he has recovered, I think <span>Alex Song</span> would be a better option. Or Jonathan dos Santos, but that seems highly unlikely, even with Bayern on the horizon. Thiago Alcântara should start in midfield, and I’d say that Cesc Fàbregas could join him in midfield; although Andrés Iniesta could also fill that role and be substituted off around the 50 minute mark – exactly as he was against <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/la-liga/teams/mallorca">Mallorca</a>. Sergi Roberto may, or may not be in the frame for a rare place in the senior squad; it would open up a place in the B team for Sergi Samper, who was rumoured to be impressive in his cameo appearance in the Copa Catalunya – although that does seem to go against <a href="http://www.barcablaugranes.com/2013/4/17/4232850/fc-barcelona-b-go-for-copa-catalunya-as-eusebio-sacristan-seeks">Eusebio’s usual coaching style</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal">Moving onto the attack, tomorrow could well prove to be day that Gerard Deulofeu makes his first competitive start for the senior team, having impressed over the course of the season with 18 goals in the Segunda Division. However, it seems unlikely that Deulofeu will start tomorrow – or even make the bench – instead, I expect Alexis Sánchez to start on the right-hand side of attack. Cristian Tello is virtually certain to retain his place on the left, with <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110874/david-villa">David Villa</a> my personal choice for the centre-forward berth. In all likelihood, Cesc will start as a false nine, but hey, we can dream right?</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><b>LEVANTE</b></p>
<p></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal">Tomorrow’s visitors are thirteen points clear of the drop-zone and ten points adrift of a UEFA Europa League place; aside from the slight discrepancies in prize money, Levante have nothing to play for. Holding midfielder Vicente Iborra is suspended while full-backs Christian Lell and Nikolaos Karabelas have been left out of the squad, along with winger Juanlu. Given that Levante slumped to a huge 4-0 home defeat to struggling Deportivo, few expect this one to be a contest.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><b>FORM GUIDE</b></p>
<p></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal">Barcelona: WDDWDW</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal">Levante: DLDWLL</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><b>LAST MEETING</b></p>
<p></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal">Levante UD 0-4 FC Barcelona – 25<sup>th</sup> November 2012 – La Liga</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal">Barcelona couldn’t find a way past Levante until the second-half, but they made amends with four second-half goals, courtesy of Lionel Messi (2), Andrés Iniesta and Cesc Fàbregas.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><b>LIKELY LINE-UPS</b></p>
<p></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal">Barcelona (4-3-3): Valdés; Montoya, Bartra, Piqué, Adriano; Song, Thiago, Iniesta; Sánchez, Cesc, Tello</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal">Levante (4-2-3-1): Munua; Lopez, Ballesteros, Navarro, Juanfran; Diop, Simao; El Zhar, Michel, Barkero; Acquafresca</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><b>MATCH PREDICTION</b></p>
<p></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal">Whether Barça are focused on Bayern, or not, they should still have more than enough to defeat Levante, and by some margin too. I’m going for a Manita: 5-0 Barça!</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
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https://www.barcablaugranes.com/2013/4/19/4244024/la-liga-fc-barcelona-vs-levante-match-previewArron Duckling