Croatia
Indonesia
Nigeria
South Africa

Preview: Levante vs. Celta Vigo - prediction, team news, lineups

sportsmole.co.uk, 19 September 2021, 20:11
Having both had underwhelming starts to the new season, Levante and Celta Vigo will square off in an important La Liga clash on Tuesday.

With just one point from their first five games, the visitors sit in 18th spot in the La Liga table, while their hosts are only three points better off, and are also yet to win.

Match preview

Levante began the new campaign with back-to-back draws, firstly being held by a 97th-minute Cadiz equaliser, before earning a far more commendable point as Roger Marti, Jose Campana and Rober Pier got on the scoresheet in a 3-3 draw with title-chasing Real Madrid.

Paco Lopez's side were then handed a 1-0 defeat by Real Sociedad, before again recording consecutive draws heading into Tuesday's game.

They were again the victims of late drama against newly-promoted Rayo Vallecano, as Sergio Guardiola netted a 92nd-minute equaliser as they look set to see out a 1-0 win, before Jose Luis Morales rescued a point in a 1-1 draw with Elche on Saturday.

After last season's push for a top-half finish eventually collapsed, the Graontas will be desperate to begin climbing the table and stage another push this time around, but they face a Celta Vigo side in a very similar situation.

The visitors found themselves battling for similar spots with Levante for the majority of last season, but had a far stronger end and eventually secured an eight-placed finish.

However, the new campaign has not started well for Eduardo Coudet's men, as they sit on just one point from five games.

That came from a goalless draw against Osasuna, but Os Celestes have since lost three consecutive games, firstly being beaten 1-0 by Athletic Bilbao before suffering a 5-2 thrashing at the hands of Real Madrid.

They now come into the game on the back of a 2-1 defeat at home to Cadiz, as Santi Mina's 64th-minute goal was not enough to trigger a turnaround, with the visitors leaving with a 2-1 win thanks to first-half goals from Alfonso Espino and Anthony Lozano.

Having immediately dropped into the relegation places, Os Celestes will know that they need to quickly click into gear to avoid a battle at the bottom of the table at the end of the season.

Levante La Liga form:

Celta Vigo La Liga form:

Team News

Levante have a long injury list to deal with, as attackers Roberto Soldado, Jorge de Frutos and Enis Bardhi will miss out alongside midfielder Jose Campana.

Those losses increase Lopez's reliance on star man Jose Luis Morales, who netted their equaliser last time out.

He will likey be joined in a front two by Dani Gomez, with wing-backs Carlos Clerc and Son also getting forward.

Despite the slow start, Celta Vigo have largely stuck with their established core of players so far, and Coudet should continue to keep faith in the likes of Iago Aspas, Santi Mina, Franco Cervi and Denis Suarez in attack.

They should come in with a clean bill of health, while the manager will have decisions to make over the likes of Nolito and Okay Yokuslu, who will be pushing for spots in the starting XI.

Levante possible starting lineup:

Cardenas; Postigo, Duarte, Vezo; Son, Pepelu, Malsa, Martinez, Clerc; Gomez, Morales

Celta Vigo possible starting lineup:

Dituro; Mallo, Murillo, Fontan, Galan; Tapia; Suarez, Cervi, Nolito; Aspas, Mina

We say: Levante 1-1 Celta Vigo

While Levante have made a better start to the season, the losses to their squad arguably gives an established Celta Vigo XI the advantage, and this could go either way.

We opt for a low-scoring draw, as the sides could cancel each other out in their bids to climb the table.

Top News

22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk South American giants Palmeiras have reportedly sent an 'initial proposal' to Fulham for midfielder Andreas Pereira. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Nuno Espirito Santo will rival Arne Slot to win the Premier League's Manager of the Year award. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona want to sever ties with attacker Ansu Fati at the earliest opportunity in the January transfer window but the player is rebelling against a move, according to a report. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bayern Munich winger Leroy Sane has confirmed that he wants to remain at the Allianz Arena despite links with a return to the Premier League next year. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Serie A powerhouses Napoli have supposedly expressed an interest in signing Manchester United defender Harry Maguire on a free transfer next summer. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Alexander Sorloth scored a last-gasp winner as Atletico Madrid defeated Barcelona 2-1 at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys to go top of the La Liga table. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal attacker Bukayo Saka has been seen leaving Selhurst Park on crutches after sustaining a suspected hamstring problem in Saturday's 5-1 Premier League win over Crystal Palace. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal have written a new page of English football history thanks to their 5-1 destruction of London rivals Crystal Palace in Saturday's Premier League derby. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Round 17 of the 2024-25 Turkish Super Lig will be wrapped up with a clash between two sides from the Marmara region, as Istanbul Basaksehir welcome Kasimpasa to the Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadyumu on Monday evening. 21 December 2024 talksport.com Leicester loan star Facundo Buonanotte wants to see a Tottenham forward join him so they can rekindle their partnership. 21 December 2024 talksport.com Arsenal's rivals will hate it but they can definitely claim London is red after their 5-1 win over Crystal Palace. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus continued his resurgence with two goals as the Gunners demolished Crystal Palace 5-1 in the Premier League at Selhurst Park. 21 December 2024 talksport.com Arsenal fans' worst fears have been realised with Bukayo Saka substituted early with a suspected hamstring injury. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal have suffered a worrying injury blow over Bukayo Saka, who appeared to pick up a hamstring problem in Saturday's Premier League clash with Crystal Palace. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona and Arsenal are reportedly both interested in signing Sevilla midfielder Lucien Agoume, with the France Under-21s international potentially leaving Estadio Ramon next summer. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid have welcomed Ferland Mendy back into their squad for Sunday's La Liga clash with Sevilla. 21 December 2024 talksport.com Mykhailo Mudryk will be sat ringside at Oleksandr Usyk's rematch with Tyson Fury days after being suspended from football. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Southampton have confirmed the appointment of former Roma head coach Ivan Juric as their new manager following the departure of Russell Martin. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Newcastle United's 4-0 victory against Ipswich Town on Saturday afternoon at Portman Road ensured that they followed up their qualification for the EFL Cup semi-final with an important three points in the Premier League. 21 December 2024 talksport.com Southampton have confirmed ex-Roma boss Ivan Juric as their new manager to replace Russell Martin. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Nottingham Forest enhanced their Champions League credentials and condemned Brentford to their first home loss of the Premier League season with a 2-0 victory at the Gtech Community Stadium. 21 December 2024 talksport.com Jack Grealish burned some bridges with Aston Villa after taunting the club's fans following their victory over Manchester City. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk A fitting final Premier League match before Christmas Day, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool engage in a battle of the behemoths in North London on Sunday afternoon. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aston Villa handed Manchester City a 2-1 defeat on Saturday, adding to the woes of Pep Guardiola's side, who have now endured nine losses in their last 12 matches. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery has claimed that his side decided to defeat Manchester City "through domination" on Saturday afternoon. 21 December 2024 talksport.com "This is a crisis." 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid will be bidding to return to winning ways in La Liga when they welcome Sevilla to Bernabeu on Sunday. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid have added Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk to their wishlist for the summer transfer window, according to a report. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona will be without the services of Hector Fort for Saturday's La Liga clash against Atletico Madrid, with the defender ruled out of the contest due to a hamstring problem. 21 December 2024 talksport.com It was the nightmare before Christmas for new Coventry City manager Frank Lampard.