Barça's Resurrection Sunday: Pedri Returns as Levante Visit Camp Nou
Barcelona host relegation-threatened Levante at Camp Nou desperate to bounce back from back-to-back defeats. Pedri and Rashford are both back.
Two heavy defeats on the spin have left Barcelona rattled — and this afternoon’s home clash with Levante is being treated as nothing short of a must-win.
The Damage Done
The last fortnight has been rough for the Catalans, no two ways about it. A 4-0 hammering at the Metropolitano in the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg effectively left their cup hopes in tatters, and then a 2-1 reverse at Girona last Monday handed the LaLiga leadership straight to Real Madrid on a silver platter. Six goals conceded, one scored — the numbers tell a grim story.
Flick clearly felt the need to clear the air. After giving the squad a couple of days off, he sat down with his players for two separate dressing room sessions this week — one lasting an hour on Thursday, another on Friday before training, which ended up starting a full 60 minutes late. Whatever was said in those chats, Barcelona needed it.
Reasons to Be Cheerful
For all the doom and gloom, the stats at Camp Nou this season are genuinely impressive:
- 11 wins from 11 LaLiga home games — the only side in the division with a perfect home record
- 24 goals scored, just 5 conceded at home in the league
- Never lost to Levante at home — 16 meetings in Barcelona, 16 wins
So on paper, this is exactly the kind of fixture Flick’s side should be using to get back on track.
Word of Warning
Before anyone gets too comfortable, Levante actually gave Barça a proper scare in the reverse fixture back in August. The visitors were 2-0 up at the Ciutat de València at half-time and only turned it around with a 91st-minute comeback. The Granotes aren’t just rolling over.
That said, Levante are in a desperate spot themselves — second bottom with 18 points, seven adrift of safety. This is a final for them too.
The Good News: Pedri and Rashford Are Back
The headline coming out of the Barça camp ahead of kick-off is the return of Pedri. The Canarian midfielder has been out for a month with a right hamstring injury — right on schedule with the expected recovery timeline — and gets his medical clearance today. Flick hasn’t ruled out giving him some minutes off the bench.
Marcus Rashford is also back in the fold after missing two games with a knock to his left knee. Two key players returning at a critical moment in the season — Barça will take that.
Levante’s Absentees
The visitors head to Camp Nou without several players:
- Pablo Martínez — out until April with a grade II knee ligament injury
- Rober Brugué — already a known absentee
- Elgezabal — carrying a knock
- Kervin Arriaga — serving the second of a three-match ban after a double yellow
All things considered, Barça have every advantage going into this one. The pressure is on them to deliver, but the conditions are about as favourable as they get.