A battle of polar opposites

Polar opposites will come together this evening in Valencia. The scenario at the bottom sees Levante looking for their first win after only scoring one goal and shipping five, while at the top Barça will look to extend their lead after winning three out of three, scoring six and keeping three clean sheets in the process. The respective dugouts also tell divergent stories as Mendilibar is still finding his feet at Levante, while his opposite Luis Enrique looks like he’s been at the helm in the Camp Nou for years, with the Barça players previously crying out for a coach to push them in training in order to perform on the pitch.

In the midst of the wave of injuries at Levante (six), a ray of hope is poking through the clouds in the form of Diop. The African midfielder, who missed the Málaga game (0-0) due to international commitments (he travelled 12,000 kilometres to represent Senegal), will look to break up the midfield combo of the tireless Busquets, the versatile Rakitic and, despite his slow start to the season, the imaginative Iniesta.

The truth is that Barça don’t normally receive a warmer reception at Orriols than Mestalla, the other big ground in Valencia, yet often when Los Culés line up against Levante a wry smile appears on the faces of the Barça fans as they revel in nostalgia. It’s the place where, after two 1-1 draws with Rijkaard and Guardiola, the Catalan side lifted two league trophies in the 2004-05 and 2010-11 campaigns, the icing on two incredible seasons. Today, however, should be a different story – Barça at the summit comes as no surprise but there’s something strange about seeing Levante propping up the table. Mendilibar’s customary practice is to build a wall against Los Azulgrana and even nick a point or two, which was exactly what he managed with Osasuna. Whether or not he can do that this evening remains to be seen, but whatever happens the battle of the polar opposites should be a heated affair.

from Últimas noticias | Diario AS http://ift.tt/1tMhZtm

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