La Liga: Real Madrid Have Levante at Their Crosshairs

Levante vs Real Madrid

All roads lead to the Estadio Ciudad de Valencia as Real Madrid pay a visit to Levante for the second matchday of 2021/22 season.

Real Madrid looked virtually unstoppable against Alaves in what was a joyous La Liga homecoming for Carlo Ancelotti. And with more players available at his disposal, they are backed by the SBOTOP betting odds to pretty much do the same this Sunday.

But Levante have different plans upon hosting their first match at home this season and they can make their visitors uncomfortable as shown in their previous matches.

Los Granotas gained a point from their draw against Cadiz in the last time out, although many pundits felt that they should’ve gotten the full three points.

With the new season already underway, let’s take a look and analyse how these two Spanish top-flight clubs stack up in this match preview.

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La Liga

Talking Points

Levante’s stars aren’t at their best form

Levante would’ve easily been in one of the top places at the table if only they got the job done against Cadiz last weekend.

It felt like they were on their way to pick up their first win of the season when they held a one-goal lead after the 39^th minute, but a late goal bailed out Cadiz.

Top scorer Jose Luis Morales was the lone bright spot for Los Granotas with his first half goal, but it was cancelled out by Alfonso Espino’s added time score.

And against a team like Real Madrid this Sunday, Levante need their other key players to perform much better in order to have a chance.

Levante’s wide area is a point of concern ahead of their next match since it was exploited by Cadiz in the last time out.

Winger Jorge de Frutos and right-back Son lost the ball for a combined 36 times versus the Pirates, and that won’t cut it against a possession-heavy club like Real Madrid.

Furthermore, Roger Marti — who was their second leading scorer last term with 12 goals — was unable to make his presence felt and he must have a more aggressive approach versus Los Blancos.

Real Madrid are off to a flying start

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti aiming for another win in La Liga — Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti gestures before the match

The front three of Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, and Eden Hazard worked beautifully against Alaves last week and we expect them to create more La Liga 2021 highlights since Levante aren’t exactly known for their defence.

Besides those three, Carlo Ancelotti can mix it up with the likes of Marco Asensio, Vinicius Jr., Rodrygo, and Luka Jovic – who are all capable goalscorers as well.

But the key area of focus for Los Blancos is going to be the midfield since Toni Kroos remains out due to a lingering groin injury.

Jose Campana is Levante’s rock at the middle. And when left unchecked, he can cause problems with his nifty passes to his forwards.

Fede Valverde, Luka Modric, and Casemiro will all have to work double time to contain the 28-year-old playmaker while providing cover for the unestablished centre-back duo of Nacho and Eder Militao.

History

Real Madrid are on a roll and an away win against Levante this weekend would certainly boost their championship aspirations.

Los Blancos haven’t lost in any of their last 19 La Liga fixtures (W14, D5), which is the best current undefeated streak of any team in the tournament.

Moreover, they’ve been superb in playing against Levante on the road, having beaten them 11 out of their last 15 visits while scoring 29 goals total.

On the flip side, Levante have generally done well under Paco Lopez’s tutelage. With him as their manager, Los Granotas have won three of their six meetings with Real Madrid in La Liga.

Before Lopez’s arrival, Levante have only won twice in 24 games against Real Madrid in the Spanish top-flight (L19, D3).

Betting Tip

	Levante vs Real Madrid	Real Madrid Asian Handicap -1.00 @ 2.06
	August 23, 04:00 (GMT+8)

The La Liga 2021 odds point to a victory for Real Madrid, but Levante can certainly give them a challenge.

Los Blancos are installed at 1.61 to win, while Levante are priced at 5.20 and a draw is at 3.90 in the 1X2 market.

As shown in their recent head-to-heads, Levante can hurt Real Madrid if they’ll catch them on an off-night and they are opportunistic enough to take advantage when given the chance.

But at the end of the day, Real Madrid’s overall quality is undoubtedly better. And with momentum on their side, Los Blancos should sweep aside their opponents to pick up their second successive victory under Carlo Ancelotti.