Barcelona Faces Levante in Key La Liga Clash

VALENCIA, Spain — Barcelona continues its La Liga journey with a match against Levante on Saturday evening, following a solid season opener against Mallorca.

The reigning champions began their 2025-26 campaign with a 3-0 victory, but manager Hansi Flick expressed frustration over his team’s second-half performance. Despite the comfortable win, he criticized the players for lacking intensity, particularly after Mallorca was reduced to nine men.

Levante, newly promoted after winning the Segunda Division, aims to claim its first victory over Barcelona since 2019. The team is coming off a disappointing 2-1 loss to Alavés in their first match of the season, which has left them looking for momentum.

Barcelona currently sits at the top of the La Liga table after the opening weekend, while Levante struggles to bounce back after their recent defeat. The last time these two teams met was in April 2022, where Barcelona narrowly clinched a 3-2 victory.

Levante’s squad faces challenges with several players, including Jon Ander Olasagasti, facing injury doubts ahead of the match. Meanwhile, Barcelona’s key player Robert Lewandowski is also a concern, but Flick hinted he might make an appearance off the bench.

In their previous encounter, Barcelona scored twice in the first 23 minutes against Mallorca. This time, they’ll need to assert themselves from the start and maintain focus throughout the match against a Levante team known for its strong home support.

As both teams prepare to meet at the Estadi Ciutat de València, Levante hopes to surprise the champions, while Barcelona is eager to consolidate its position at the top of the table.

The match is scheduled to kick off on Saturday, August 23, 2025, at 9:30 PM CET.