Levante v Barcelona Betting Tip Barcelona to win to nil – 10 January 2019

Barca can show class

International Football Tips

SpainLevante v BarcelonaSpain
Thursday 10th January 2030hrs 
Football – Spain – Copa Del Rey
Pick: Barca to win to nil
Bookmaker: 23/10
Odds: Bet Victor (odds taken 22.30 GMT, Wednesday 9th January)

Copa Del Rey Betting at Bet Victor

Barcelona have won this competition for the last four seasons and will be looking to make history by becoming the first ever club to win it five times in a row. Levante are the next club trying to stop them and there’s no doubting how big an ask that will be for the La Liga outfit. The hosts will take some belief from their strong league form this term, though, and will be looking to take advantage of playing at home in the first leg. Continue reading for a match preview as Levante host Barcelona, with a selected best betting tip.

Levante Preview

Levante are one of the provincial clubs in Spain but they have been excellent in the first half of the season and exceeding expectations. For a team who are used to being involved in relegation scraps, this season could well be one where they are free of that worry. Their current position of 10th is testament to how well they have performed and although it’s just four points the gap between themselves and the bottom three, they have some struggling teams below them. Coach Paco Lopez will be looking for his team to get back on the winning trail in the league having went four without a win but they have won through to this round of the cup courtesy of a routine win over Lugo. A 1-1 draw away from home was followed up with a 2-0 home success. Being drawn against Barca is the hardest tie they could have got and it will be the first time they have played the Catalonians in the Cop Del Rey.

Barcelona Preview

It’s been a magnificent run for Barcelona in the Copa Del Rey, winning the competition for the past four years and under three different managers. Ernesto Valverde won it as part of a domestic double in his maiden season at the Nou Camp and will be looking for similar at the very least, with a better showing in Europe expected. As ever in this competition, Barca utilised their massive squad in the previous round to see off Cultural Leonesa of the third tier. A 5-1 aggregate win was achieved with little stress and they will have been relatively pleased with the draw for this round, too. It’s a quick return to Valencia, where Levante are based, having thumped them 5-0 last month. It’s sure to be a different game this time around, though, with Lionel Messi – who scored a hat-trick in that game – not expected to play. Whilst there is a plethora of quality in the squad, Barca are a different entity with Messi playing. Whoever takes the field for the visitors tomorrow will be tasked with continuing their excellent Copa Del Rey record, one which has seen them win their last six in a row and conceding just one goal in that spell of games. Due to the two-legged format they have lost a couple of ties over the past four years but it’s just two defeats in 38 games.

Levante v Barcelona Betting Advice

Barcelona’s last meaningful loss (one which had a material effect on the outcome of the tie) came in the final of the 2014 when defeated by rivals 2-1. It’s an incredible run which not only shows great consistency, but also the motivation of the whole squad under different regimes. Levante have the unenviable task of not just getting a result against them, but knocking them out over two legs. The hosts will also be licking their wounds from the last meeting between the two when they shipped five. Levante will be hoping that their chances are enhanced slightly by the number of changes that Valverde makes to the team but they’ll be well aware of the depth in their opponent’s squad.

The home team can point to an incredible 5-4 win at home to Barca last season which brought an end to their unbeaten league record at the time but I have my doubts they can topple them again. Barcelona have won their last three away games in the Copa Del Rey without conceding a goal and it indicates the approach they take in the first leg in this competition. I’m backing them to get another victory and keeping a clean sheet at the same time.