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Preview: Levante vs. Real Betis - prediction, team news, lineups

sportsmole.co.uk, 26 June 2020, 11:19

Real Betis will be looking to make it back-to-back victories in La Liga when they continue their 2019-20 season away to Levante on Sunday afternoon.

The Seville-based outfit will enter the match off the back of a 1-0 win over Espanyol, while Levante saw a four-game unbeaten run in the league ended by Atletico Madrid on Tuesday night.

Match preview

© Reuters

Levante have finished 15th in La Liga in each of their last two seasons, while they have not ended a top-flight campaign in a position higher than 14th since 2013-14.

As it stands, Paco Lopez 's side are 12th in Spain's top flight, having picked up 38 points from their 31 matches, which has left them 12 points clear of the relegation zone.

Granotas are only four points off the top of the table, meanwhile, and will be eyeing their 12th league victory of the season when they welcome Betis to Valencia.

Levante had picked up four points from two matches against Sevilla and Espanyol before Tuesday's clash with Atletico, but Lopez's side suffered a 1-0 defeat to the capital giants on home soil.

© Reuters

Betis, meanwhile, will enter this weekend's match off the back of a 1-0 victory over Espanyol on Thursday night, where Marc Bartra scored the only goal of the contest early in the second period.

The Seville-based side had gone three games without a victory ahead of the clash with the Catalan outfit, losing to Sevilla and Athletic Bilbao since resuming their campaign on June 11.

Nine wins, 10 draws and 12 defeats - that is how Los Verdiblancos have performed this season, with a total of 37 points from 31 matches leaving them in 13th position in the table.

Betis are under new management for the latter stages of the campaign, meanwhile, with Alexis Trujillo recently replacing Rubi on an interim basis; it is actually the second time that Trujillo has acted as interim boss, having also held the position for two games towards the end of the 2017-18 campaign.

Levante La Liga form: LDDDWL

Betis La Liga form: LWLDLW

Team News

© Reuters

Levante will be without the services of Nikola Vukcevic through suspension due to the yellow card that the midfielder picked up in the 1-0 loss to Atletico last time out.

Ivan Lopez is also unavailable due to a knee problem, but Gonzalo Melero should shake off a muscular problem.

There are expected to be changes from the side that started against Diego Simeone 's team, with Borja Mayoral and Jose Luis Morales among those likely to return to the XI.

As for Betis, Joaquin and Javi Garcia are both still doubtful, but the Green and Whites did not pick up any fresh fitness concerns in their one-goal success over Espanyol.

William Carvalho and Carles Alena were both on the bench last time out but could feature in the starting XI, although Borja Iglesias is again expected to get the nod over Loren Moron in the final third of the field.

Cristian Tello could also return to the starting side, potentially at the expense of Alfonso Pedraza.

Levante possible starting lineup:

Aitor; Coke, Vezo, Postigo, Tono; Rocinha, Campana, Radoja, Bardhi; Morales, Mayoral

Real Betis possible starting lineup:

Joel; Mandi, Bartra, Feddal; Emerson, Alena, Carvalho, Pedraza; Fekir, Iglesias, Tello

We say: Levante 1-1 Real Betis

Betis will have been boosted by their victory over Espanyol, and there is no question that the Green and Whites have a lot of talented players. They have only recorded one away league victory this season, though, while Levante have suffered just four defeats on their own patch; we fancy a low-scoring draw.

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