Tough trip as Barca take on Levante

FC Barcelona face one of their toughest games of the season on Sunday when they travel to play against Levante in the Ciudad de Valencia Stadium. Tito Vilanova's side will kick off their game as leaders of the BBVA Primera Liga, although their lead could be down to just goal average should Atletico Madrid defeat Sevilla in an earlier kick off. Levante promises to be one of the hardest away games for Vilanova and his men: the side from Valencia are currently fourth in the table, showing last season's fifth place finish was no fluke and the side coached by Juan Ignacio Martinez qualified for the knock-out stage of the Europa league for the first time in their history with a comfortable 3-1 win away to Swedish side Helsingborg Thursday night. That Thursday kick off could be a factor in the game, given that Levante do have an aging squad and some of their veteran players may struggle to fully recover from the match. Barca were also in European action in midweek, winning 3-0 away to Spartak Moscow on Tuesday, which means Vilanova's men have over 48 hours more recovery time, before the trip down the east coast. Thiago Alcantara is fit again for Barca and could be included in the squad, although he is unlikely to make the starting 11 for what is likely to be a physical challenge. Levante were unlucky to lose at home to Real Madrid a fortnight ago, falling only to a late goal from Alvaro Morata. Martinez's side will look to copy Glasgow Celtic, who defeated Barca recently in Europe, by sitting deep, closing spaces and looking to hit Barca on the break and make them suffer from set pieces. Because of that, Vilanova could be tempted to start with winger Christian Tello alongside Pedro Rodriguez and Leo Messi, who is fast closing in on Gerd Muller's record of 85 goals in a year. Messi will have to battle it out with central defenders Sergio Ballesteros and David Navarro, who two weeks ago left Cristiano Ronaldo bleeding from a cut eyelid after elbowing him in the face. Meanwhile Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique will form the central defensive pairing, while Jordi Alba and Dani Alves will provide further width from full back. A win for Barca would provide a major boost and continue their record breaking start to the season, which has so far brought them 34 points from a possible 36.