Barcelona remain on the road for their second La Liga outing of 2025–26, as they travel along the Balearic Sea to face Levante on Saturday evening.
The champions’ campaign got off to a serene start on opening weekend, although Hansi Flick was left furious with his players, after he deemed them to have coasted through the second half.
Two first-half red cards for Mallorca meant Barça, then 2–0 up, had three points in the bag, but they only added one more goal to their tally during the remainder of the contest. Flick reportedly told his players that they will not reclaim their La Liga crown playing at that level.
Still, their easy triumph means they’re top of the table, and there was no triumphant return to the top flight for Levante, who won the Segunda last term and are back in the top flight for the first time since 2022.
Saturday’s host were beaten by another relegation candidate, Alavés, 2–1 last weekend. They’re now gunning for their first win over Barça since 2019 and seventh ever.
Here’s Sports Illustrated’s guide to Barcelona’s upcoming La Liga clash.
Levante vs. Barcelona Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)
Current Form (All Competitions)
|
Levante |
Barcelona |
|---|---|
|
Alavés 2–1 Levante – 8/16/25 |
Mallorca 0–3 Barcelona – 8/16/25 |
|
Auxerre 0–2 Levante – 8/9/25 |
Barcelona 5–0 Como – 8/10/25 |
|
Levante 0–2 Castellón – 8/8/25 |
Barcelona 5–0 Daegu FC – 8/4/25 |
|
Levante 0–0 Al Qadisiyah – 7/31/25 |
FC Seoul 3–7 Barcelona – 7/31/25 |
|
Neom 0–2 Levante – 7/26/25 |
Vissel Kobe 1–3 Barcelona – 7/27/25 |
|
Country |
TV Channel / Live Stream |
|---|---|
|
United States |
ESPN App, ESPN Deportes, ESPN+, Fubo Sports |
|
United Kingdom |
Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ Premium |
|
Mexico |
Sky Sports, Sky+ |
|
Canada |
TSN+, Amazon Prime Video |
The most notable summer arrival to Levante’s squad, Jon Ander Olasagasti, is a doubt for Barcelona’s visit due to a thigh injury, and the hosts could also be without Alfonso Pastor, Kervin Arriaga, Alan Matturro and Goduine Koyalipou.
None of Levante’s currently injured stars are poised to miss much time, but Barça’s visit is likely to arrive too soon for them to make returns.
Jeremy Toljan, who’s spent much of his career in Italy, was a surprise goalscorer in his Levante debut last weekend.
Levante Predicted Lineup vs. Barcelona (3-5-2): Cunat; Elgezabal, De La Fuente, Cabello; Toljan, Lozano, Rey, Sánchez, Martínez; Brugué, Romero
Barcelona don’t have too many concerns heading into the game, and there have been no fresh setbacks in the build-up to Saturday’s game. Marc-André ter Stegen is out for the long haul.
In response to whether Robert Lewandowski will feature in Valencia, Flick said “we’ll see”, which suggests Ferran Torres will get the nod up top again. Lewandowski could feature off the bench, however.
The Barça boss is also hopeful that versatile defender Gerard Martín will be fit to play a role, even if the academy graduate is unlikely to start. Frenkie de Jong is available in midfield, while Dani Olmo and Jules Koundé could make their first starts of the La Liga season.
Barcelona Predicted Lineup vs. Levante (4-2-3-1): García; Koundé, Araújo, Cubarsí, Balde; De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha; Torres
Flick’s dressing room outrage may well prove to be the intervention this Barcelona team… needed? That’s weird to suggest given the levels they’ve reached in 2025, but the German clearly wasn’t happy with the lack of intensity that manifested during the second half of last week’s win.
With that added motivation, the visitors, who are cut above the rest of the division, even the two Madrid clubs, should canter again. Levante have a wretched historical record against the Blaugrana, and although the hosts have been active in the summer, it’d be an almighty upset if they earn a result here.
Prediction: Levante 0–3 Barcelona
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