Barcelona visits Levante seeking sixth consecutive win as Raphinha leads attack

Matchday 5 fixture at Ciutat de València

FC Barcelona will travel to face Levante UD on Sunday at 16:15 at the Ciutat de València stadium for Matchday 5 of the 2026-27 LaLiga EA Sports season. Hansi Flick's squad arrives as league leader after winning all five competitive matches this season, comprising four domestic league victories and a 5-1 win over Feyenoord in the Champions League. Barcelona has scored 22 goals and conceded three across these fixtures, averaging over four goals per game and recording four five-goal victories. Athletic Club on Matchday 1 remains the only opponent to avoid a blowout defeat. Levante, managed by Luis Castro, has maintained a strong home record at the Ciutat de València and recently performed well against Real Betis.

Restructured attack and Raphinha's central role

Barcelona revamped its attacking options during the summer transfer window after Robert Lewandowski departed for Major League Soccer and Ferran Torres transferred to Paris Saint-Germain. Following unsuccessful efforts to sign Julián Álvarez, the club added Gabriel Jesús as a squad rotation player and signed Belgian prospect Jesse Bisiwu. Flick reassigned Brazilian captain Raphinha from the wing to the central forward position, where he has scored eight goals in five appearances across all competitions, including six in LaLiga. Lamine Yamal has contributed five goals and two assists in his last three matches, while English winger Anthony Gordon leads LaLiga with four assists.

Squad rotations, tactical depth, and defensive recovery

Flick explained that managing a schedule with matches every three days requires consistent squad rotation. Defender Eric García returns to the domestic squad after serving a European suspension, though he must wear a protective face mask due to a broken nose suffered in a collision with Rodri at Mestalla. In midfield, Marc Bernal could return to the starting eleven after Rodri started the previous two games, with Pedri, Gavi, and defender Pau Cubarsí playing prominent roles. Barcelona recently extended the contract of forward Hamza Albdekarim through 2030 and revamped physical conditioning under German trainer Benjamin Kugel, alongside plans for a new training gymnasium.

Tactical demands and cautionary stance from Flick

During his pre-match press conference on Saturday, Flick dismissed talk of excessive excitement despite club members granting him a 9.5 approval rating in the latest Observatori Blaugrana survey. The German coach noted that players such as Dani Olmo, Fermín, and Anthony Gordon offer alternative tactical profiles in central attack, but insisted that execution and defensive pressing must remain uncompromised.

We know we have great quality, but only when we do things well, which is fundamental for us when we maintain a high intensity, when we are focused and when we are active. If we lose even 10% of that, the situation stops being good.

Flick also commended Como 1907 manager Cesc Fàbregas following their performance against Leipzig, before repeating that Barcelona must focus entirely on the trip to Valencia rather than looking ahead to upcoming fixtures against Sevilla or European opponents.