The Catalans face Levante in the Copa del Rey with the 5-0 league win in December fresh on their minds.
Barcelona’s visits to Estadi Ciutat de Valencia are certainly entertaining affairs with 21 goals in the last four matches. Nine of those came in Barca’s shock 5-4 loss last season which ended their unbeaten season in the penultimate matchday; Lionel Messi’s absence certainly played a large part in that result. They come into this game on a nine-match unbeaten run, with just two goals conceded in the last five matches.
Levante have been one of the most entertaining sides in the league with 30 goals scored which is the third highest in the league, but 24 goals conceded has also contributed to that. Two wins in the last ten games show the struggles they are having, however, the match against Barcelona was the only time they didn’t score so the defence is certainly letting them down. As pointed out in the preview for the last match between the two, their xG and xGA numbers were always likely to catch up with them and that appears to be the case now.
In the last 10 matches between the two sides, there have been 47 goals so this is usually a high-scoring affair. Ernesto Valverde is likely to rotate, though, due to this being the cup which isn’t a priority, so Barcelona are unlikely to be as dangerous as they are usually are going forwards with players like Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez not involved.
Paco Lopez has favoured 3-5-2 systems this season which Valverde matched when they played earlier in the season, however, this was due to a late knock for Nelson Semedo so Ousmane Dembele was forced into playing as a wing-back. These last-minute changes seemed to have had little effect on the team as they thumped Levante 5-0. Valverde is likely to stick with the 4-3-3 in this match, though, due to the team being used to it.
In terms of injuries, Rafinha, Sergi Samper, Thomas Vermaelen and Samuel Umtiti are all unavailable. Munir El Haddadi hasn’t been included in the matchday squad due to contract issues. Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets, Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba have all been rested for this match. Levante are without Armando Sadiku, Cheick Doukoure and Pedro Lopez for this match, but none of these is a recent injury.
Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho are both likely to start this match and they will be key in providing an attacking spark in the absence of Messi. A midfield trio of Sergio Busquets, Carles Alena and Arthur Melo would be exciting to see and should provide the control Barcelona need. 3-5-2 systems have provided issues for the Catalans in the past, but that midfield three should be able to navigate their way through a high press and provide consistent service to the forwards.
The lack of a natural forward in the matchday squad suggests that Malcom will be used in the centre-forward role. His task is to keep the defence stretched vertically as Coutinho and Dembele are likely to alternate between dropping deep in order to receive possession.