Defending La Liga champions Barcelona will fight it out against Levante in their 12th fixture of the this year's domestic campaign at the Estadi Ciutat de València stadium in Valencia on November 2.
The Catalan club who produced a splendid display in their previous match against Valladolid will look forward to continue their winning run whereas the Frogs will want to produce a major upset against the Spanish giants.
Preview, Prediction and Schedule
The Catalan club after facing minor hiccups at the start of the season slowly steadied their ship and gradually went at the top of the La Liga Liga table as the season progressed. Ernesto Valverde's men had produced brilliant displays in their last eight outings in all competitions as they survived without conceding a defeat.
With Argentine playmaker, Lionel Messi back in the squad the Catalan club will be raring to go against the Frogs to extend their lead at the top of the table over arch-rivals Real Madrid. Barca currently have 22 points in their kitty from the 11 matches they have played which is not that great compared to their past performances but with Messi back in the ranks of the Catalan club, the team are currently getting their form back.
The 32-year-old playmaker has himself score four goals and provided three assists in the last three La Liga outings and in the fixture against Valladolid he was at his best form.
The Spanish giants thumped Valladolid 5-1 to register their place at the top of the table. Luis Suarez has been also enjoying a goal-scoring spree and with Antoine Griezmann back in the squad, the trio can turn out to be a nightmare for the Valencia-based club.
But the defence of the Spanish club has been a major concern for Valverde and he needs to get things right to make sure that they do not concede any goals. The Catalan club have conceded 11 goals this season in the same number of matches they have played in the La Liga. Barcelona will definitely look forward to register a win and stay high on confidence before they face Slavia Praha in their fourth UEFA Champions League fixture of the season.
On the other hand, Levante who are currently placed 10th on the domestic league table have been in decent form this season. They have registered four wins, two draws, five defeats and are coming into this match after a 2-1 away victory at Real Sociedad on Wednesday.
The Frogs started the season pretty well before facing a defeat against Real Madrid. They will be aiming for a top-10 finish this season after they finished 15th in the last two seasons. Paco Lopez's men will be looking forward to produce a major upset like they did last season when they defeated Barcelona 5-4 on home soil.
Their defence will have their work cut out to restrict Messi and company. It will be a major task for Lopez's men to overcome the challenge of the Spanish giants but they will look forward to doing so and keep their domestic campaign on track.
The Catalan club are the favourite to win the match according to their recent performances and line-up. But the Frogs can produce an upset like they did last year and put a halt to the Spanish giants' winning run. The probable scoreline of the match will be 4-1 in favour of Barcelona.
The Barcelona-Levante match will start at 4 PM local time and 8.30 PM according to IST on November 2.
Live Streaming: How and where to watch in India
The match will not be telecasted in India as Sony Sports network did not get the broadcasting rights. The fixture will be streamed live on the official La Liga page on Facebook.
