Barça travels to face a relegation contender in an attempt to continue their winning streak.
Following a hard-fought Europa League tie against Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany in midweek, Barcelona has little time to recover and returns to La Liga action on Sunday Night Football as they travel to València to play Levante.
Barça had a dismal night on Thursday, falling short of the lofty standards set over the previous two months, and were maybe taken off guard by a quality Frankfurt side. The outcome might and should have been considerably worse, but the Blaugrana are still in a fantastic position to reach the European semi-finals.
But, if things aren't quite ideal in continental competition, the league form is exceptional: six wins in a row, the majority of them against elite opposition, and a tight hold not just on the Top 4, but also on second place. If they win on Sunday, Barcelona would finish the weekend equal on points but ahead of Sevilla on the head-to-head record, with a game in hand as an added benefit.
And, in principle, the Blaugrana don't have a very difficult task this weekend: Levante have been abysmal all season and are practically certain to be relegated with eight games remaining. However, they have showed signs of life in recent weeks under Alessio Lisci, their third manager of the season, who has finally given the club some tactical structure and, at the very least, hope of avoiding relegation.
Levante have won three and lost only two of their previous seven league games, their finest run of the season, leaving them seven points from safety. A win or even a draw against a red-hot Barcelona side would be a huge confidence boost, and they can feel certain that they will be at least competitive on Sunday in front of what is always a highly passionate crowd in their home stadium.
Barça's league form makes them heavy favorites, and Xavi Hernández's club has shown that it will not be complacent and will take a game like this seriously. Levante will be better than their table position suggests, but Barça understands the value of three points and it's difficult to imagine them winning.
Competition/Round: 2021-22 La Liga, Matchday 31
Barcelona Outs & Doubts: Ansu Fati, Gerard Piqué, Sergiño Dest, Memphis Depay, Sergi Roberto, Samuel Umtiti (out)
Levante Outs & Doubts: Shkodran Mustafi, Martin Cáceres, Jorge de Frutos, Carlos Clerc (out)
Date/Time: Sunday, April 10, 2022, 9pm CET (Barcelona), 8pm BST/WAT (UK & Nigeria), 3pm ET, 12pm PT (USA), 12.30am IST (India, Monday)
Venue: Estadio Ciutat de València, València, Spain
Referee: José Luis Munuera Montero
VAR: Ignacio Iglesias Villanueva
POSSIBLE LINEUPS
Barcelona (4-3-3): Ter Stegen; Alves, Araujo, Eric, Alba; Gavi, F. De Jong, Pedri; Dembélé, Aubameyang, Ferran
Levante (3-5-2): Cárdenas; Rober, Vezo, Postigo; Miramón, Pepelu, Radoja, Melero, Son; Roger, Morales
Braca 3:0 Levante