Barcelona go to Levante with five straight wins in all competitions, 22 goals in those five matches and a perfect 12 from 12 in La Liga. Levante vs Barcelona has a clear favourite on form, but the home side are not arriving empty-handed. Levante have five points from four matches and come in after beating Real Betis 5-2, then drawing with Malaga.

Barcelona's attacking run

The most obvious story is Barcelona's output in the final third. Five wins in a row is one thing, but 22 goals across that stretch gives Barcelona a level of control that most sides in the league cannot match at the moment. They have also won their first four league games, so this is not just a strong cup or European run carrying the mood.

That start is why they go to Valencia as heavy favourites. Sports Mole summed it up neatly: "It is incredibly difficult to back against Barcelona at this moment in time; Levante have the tools to hurt the champions, and we are backing the hosts to score, but it would be a shock if Flick's team were unable to secure all three points."

Levante's response has to come from the moments they can actually get the ball into Barcelona's half. The 5-2 win over Real Betis showed they can punish teams that leave space, and the draw with Malaga kept a little momentum behind them. Five points from four matches is a decent enough start, but it still leaves a gap in level before they even get to the match-up itself.

Barcelona's selection picture

Selection is the other reason this looks awkward for Levante. Eric García suffered a facial injury against Valencia on 6 September and is expected to play in a protective mask. He has made three La Liga appearances this season, so his return would restore a player Barcelona already trust rather than ask them to reshuffle around a newcomer.

Frenkie de Jong is out with a knee ligament injury and is due back in October. Roony Bardghji is also sidelined by a torn ACL. Hansi Flick, as Sports Mole reported, is expected to make changes from the side that started against Feyenoord in the Champions League because of the depth available to him.

That depth is part of the problem for Levante. Barcelona can change personnel without losing much of their attacking edge, and when a team is already scoring at this pace, that is a hard combination to live with over 90 minutes. The home side have some bite, but the league leaders have started too well to ignore.

The fixture is at Levante vs Barcelona on Sunday, and Barcelona will try to extend both their winning streak and their perfect league start to five games.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →