Levante – Barcelona: Levante poses a tough challenge for Hansi Flick!

23/08/2025 15:08:00 ChampionChatter

Barcelona generally finds it easier to play at Real Madrid’s Bernabeu or Atletico Madrid’s Metropolitano, but visiting Levante’s Ciudad de Valencia presents a different challenge.

In theory, the Catalan team’s head-to-head record against this opponent is impressive, with only 3 losses in 32 La Liga matches. Yet, a detailed review of recent away games at Ciudad de Valencia shows quite an unstable pattern.

A Difficult History

Levante’s relegation in 2022 temporarily removed one of Barcelona’s toughest away fixtures, but now that they have returned, Flick and his players face a match filled with potential pitfalls, as many observers suggest.

Since 2018, Barca has won only twice here, lost three times, and drawn once. The most recent meeting in April 2022 saw Xavi Hernandez’s Barcelona struggle to come from behind and win 3-2, thanks to Luuk de Jong’s last-minute header. A year earlier, under Ronald Koeman, Barca suffered a frustrating 3-3 draw at this stadium after leading 2-0 in the first half.

Ernesto Valverde’s record at Valencia is even worse; in four away games, his team lost three times, including the notorious 4-5 defeat in May 2018 that ended the club’s 43-match unbeaten run that season.

That match was certainly one of Barca’s worst under Valverde, as they trailed 5-1 after 60 minutes. Philippe Coutinho’s hat-trick wasn’t enough to reverse the situation because Levante had their own heroes, Boateng and Bardhi, who scored a hat-trick and a brace respectively.

Although Barca avenged the loss the following season with a 5-0 win, the stadium’s reputation as a “cursed” venue for the Catalan side persists. The nightmare didn’t end there, as the next season they suffered a heavy 1-3 defeat despite having six shots on target and an opening goal by Leo Messi.

De Jong and his teammates have consistently struggled when playing at Levante’s ground in recent years.

Potential Risks

The difficult history of playing in Valencia makes this weekend’s match a real challenge for the defending champions. Ciudad de Valencia remains a stadium that causes concern, especially considering the German coach’s frustration after the 3-0 win over Mallorca, as his players showed only half their potential.

Despite Levante’s squad overhaul following relegation in 2022, with only veteran Morales (38) remaining as a symbolic figure, Ciudad de Valencia is still considered a tough venue for Barcelona.

Even with players like De Jong, Pedri, Gavi, and Ferran Torres, who were part of the 3-2 victory and remain in good form, the challenge remains unchanged. After all, this club self-identifies as poor, ugly, and sacrificial in football terms, enjoying playing the role of delivering “justice” by beating big clubs like Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Moreover, facing an opponent eager to prove themselves in their first home game since promotion to La Liga is no small task. Julian Calero’s Levante is skilled at exploiting defensive weaknesses through high pressing and fast transitions in the opponent’s final third, particularly targeting the gap between center-backs and full-backs (1.84 passes per 90 minutes). This tactic counters the reigning champions, who push their defense high and are prone to mistakes on counterattacks.

Tian Yi

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