Levante vs Real Madrid
Time – India: 7:30 PM (Sunday); UK: 3:00 PM (Sunday)
Venue: Estadio de la Ceramica
Referee: Jose Munuera
Real Madrid’s opening draw stalemate pointed out some glaring potholes in their attack. Zinedine Zidane has tried two different formations since the season opener but the results haven’t been encouraging.
Of course, Real Madrid are going into Sunday’s match with two successive wins, but they can’t possibly be happy with their recent outings.
Levante, too, are struggling in their own way. They don’t have lofty ambitions like Los Blancos, but even the bare minimum hasn’t been achieved yet.
They have been on the wrong end of the scoreline in two of their opening three fixtures, and they are desperate to improve their record when the champions come to town this weekend.
Read on to learn all about the Sunday afternoon encounter in Valencia.
Levante vs Real Madrid: Head-to-head
Total matches: 26
Levante wins: 5
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Real Madrid wins: 18
Draws: 3
On paper, Real Madrid are the outright favourites to walk out with three points from Sunday’s clash. Yet, going by Real Madrid’s recent encounters at Levante, it’s hard to write the hosts off.
Their last meeting at Levante ended in a 1-0 win for the hosts, which saw Real Madrid hand Barcelona an opening in the La Liga title race. In 2018, too, Real Madrid had to come home with a single point.
Levante vs Real Madrid: Recent form
Levante: L-W-L-W-W (Most recent first)
Real Madrid: W-W-D-L-D (Most recent first)
Real Madrid kicked off their La Liga title defence with a goalless draw at Real Sociedad. Levante, on the other hand, were on the bitter end of a 4-2 defeat at Valencia. Sunday’s hosts bounced back in the next game with a win, but once again fell to a narrow defeat at Sevilla.
Zinedine Zidane’s men, with two successive wins, seem to be the more in-form unit and would look to pick maximum points on Sunday afternoon.
Levante vs Real Madrid: Team news
Levante
Levante central midfielder, Cheick Doukoure, is recovering from an Achilles tendon injury and will miss the match. In fact, the Ivorian won’t return to the fold before 2021.
Ruben Rochina, who missed the trip to Sevilla remains a doubt for the match. Apart from the two, Levante boss, Paco Lopez has the entirety of the squad at his disposal.
Absentees: Cheick Doukoure
Doubtful: Ruben Rochina
Real Madrid
Real Madrid boss, Zinedine Zidane, named Marco Asensio and Eden Hazard in the matchday squad against Real Valladolid. Sadly, Hazard picked up a muscle injury and was discarded from the squad in the final hours. Marco Asensio, on the other hand, came off the bench to produce some neat touches.
Apart from Hazard, Toni Kroos and Mariano Diaz are also set to miss the trip to Levante, as they aren’t over their respective injuries. Third-choice central defender, Eder Militao still has some physical discomfort and could sit this one out.
Dani Carvajal has also been ruled out for at least two months with a knee injury.
Absentees: Eden Hazard, Toni Kroos, Mariano Diaz, Dani Carvajal
Doubtful: Eder Militao
Levante vs Real Madrid: Probable XI
Levante: Aitor; Son, Vezo, Duarte, Tono; Campana, Radoja, Vukcevic, Bardhi; Melero, Morales;
Real Madrid: Courtois; Odriozola, Ramos, Varane, Mendy; Casemiro, Modric, Valverde, Odegaard; Jovic, Benzema;
Levante vs Real Madrid: Where to watch
India: No Telecast
UK: La Liga TV (Premier Sports)
Stream in India: Facebook Watch on Facebook
Stream in the UK: Premier Sports Player
Levante vs Real Madrid: Prediction
Levante, despite their misfortunes, managed to hit five goals in their opening three La Liga fixtures. They weren’t very impressive for the most part, but they still, somehow, took their chances.
Zinedine Zidane’s champions, on the other hand, have scored only four goals in the Spanish top-flight, one of which was an own goal by Real Betis man, Emerson.
Zidane tried out the Luka Jovic-Karim Benzema partnership in the last two matches, but none managed to find the back of the net. With Hazard out, Real Madrid could once again go for a two-striker formation, but they simply can’t afford to be as lacklustre as the Betis or Valladolid fixture.
On their day, Real Madrid have the quality to beat any team in the world. Yes, they aren’t exactly going through a purple patch right now, but they shouldn’t need to fire on all cylinders to secure a convincing result against Levante.
Levante vs Real Madrid predicted scoreline: 0-2
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