The title battle for La Liga has entered the final three games, with Barcelona the first of the contenders to do battle in this matchday. The Blaugrana travel to Levante for a late Tuesday evening kick-off, and will go momentarily top should they pull off a win. They’re currently third in the table, level on points with Real Madrid and two off Atletico Madrid. Levante are in 14th, between Alaves and Valencia.
Ronald Koeman opted for what looked like a 3-5-2 shape before kick-off, starting Marc-Andre ter Stegen in goal behind a back three of Ronald Araujo, Gerard Pique and Clement Lenglet. The midfield three will be composed of Pedri, Sergio Busquets and Frenkie de Jong, with Ousmane Dembele and Jordi Alba on either flank. Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann will lead the line in the final third.
Barcelona took the lead in the 25th minute, a real nerve-settler in a must-win game. In what will be a surprise to nobody, it was their Argentine captain Messi who dealt the blow. Pique played the ball to Pedri who in turn found Alba, who floated in a ball that fell to Messi after a deflection. He made no mistake finishing, producing a neat volley.
