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Spanish Primera BBVA

Ciutat de Valencia (ATT 25,000) 14th April 2012 - Kick off 21:00 Ref: Jose Antonio Teixeira Vitienes

Levante Levante vs Barcelona Barcelona

Levante 1

J Barkero (pen 23)

ft

Barcelona 2

L Messi (64, pen 72)

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Levante v Barcelona preview

Last Updated: April 13, 2012 5:08pm

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Sergio Busquets: Focused on wins

Sergio Busquets: Focused on wins

Barcelona will continue their pursuit of Real Madrid this weekend as they go in search of an 11th successive Primera Division victory at Levante.

Sky Bet Odds

Levante 12/1, Draw 11/2, Barcelona 1/5.Bet now

That run has trimmed Madrid's lead at the summit to just four points with the season's second El Clasico still to come.

Barca closed to within a solitary point following their 4-0 defeat of Getafe on Tuesday but the manner of Madrid's 4-1 win at Atletico 24 hours later has possibly handed the momentum back to Jose Mourinho's side.

Barca midfielder Sergio Busquets concedes the title remains Madrid's to lose but has vowed the defending champions will not relinquish their crown without a fight.

"The league will be difficult, but nothing is impossible," he said.

"They have the advantage. We have had these advantages before and in the end we've been champions.

"But the only thing that interests us is winning every game we play.

"If we give our all then we will have an opportunity, but we are thinking game by game.

"In Levante it will be very difficult. We will do everything we can to get another three points."

Barca make the trip to the Ciutat de Valencia in good spirits and the mood in the camp will have been enhanced this week by the news striker David Villa's rehabilitation from a broken leg remains on track.

The Spain international - he is his country's record goalscorer - scaled the La Mola mountain near Barcelona yesterday and reiterated his belief that he will be back before the end of the season.

Villa has targeted the Champions League final, should Barca overcome Chelsea in the last four, in Munich for his comeback with a view to earning a place in the Spain squad for Euro 2012.

"The leg is getting better all the time," Villa wrote on his Twitter feed.

"We are in line with the timetable set out."

Although Levante have been in the upper echelons all season, their priority has always been avoiding the drop.

And the scorelines from the midweek matches meant that objective had been accomplished.

Levante are now 20 points clear of the bottom three with just six rounds remaining.

As a result, coach Juan Ignacio Martinez has had his contract automatically renewed for another season.

Martinez made five changes for the 3-2 defeat at Sporting Gijon on Wednesday night but is expected to revert back to a more customary starting line-up for the visit of Barca.

Best bet: Barcelona -2 - 6/4

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Matches

Table

Spanish Primera BBVA

Spanish Primera BBVA
Pos Team P Pts
1 Barcelona 36 94
2 Real Madrid 36 81
3 Atletico Madrid 36 72
4 Real Sociedad 36 62
5 Valencia 36 62
6 Malaga 36 54
7 Real Betis 36 52
8 Rayo Vallecano 36 49
9 Sevilla 36 47
10 Getafe 36 47
11 Espanyol 36 44
12 Athletic Bilbao 36 44
13 Real Valladolid 36 43
14 Levante 36 42
15 Granada 36 39
16 Osasuna 36 36
17 Deportivo La Coruna 36 35
18 Real Zaragoza 36 34
19 Real Mallorca 36 32
20 Celta Vigo 36 31

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