Villarreal vs Levante
Levante enter the New Year as one of La Liga‘s most in-form teams. The Granotas ended 2020 with three wins in their last six matches –including a huge 2-1 home win over high-flying Real Sociedad– and have suffered just one defeat in their last 10.
They will be eyeing another big upset as they travel to the El Madrigal to face fifth-placed Villarreal. The Yellow Submarine saw their record 19-match unbeaten streak snapped by Sevilla, but the La Liga 2020 betting odds will still have Unai Emery’s side favoured to claim all three points at home.
Talking Points
Villarreal’s unbeaten run finally ends
Villarreal’s club-record 19-match unbeaten run – 12 of which came in the league – finally came to an end as they were upended 2-0 away to Sevilla.
Villarreal enjoyed 56 per cent of possession, but the hosts defended well and were more clinical in front of goal.
Despite their long unbeaten run, though, Villarreal have not entirely impressed in recent weeks. They had won just once in their last six matches prior to the Sevilla match, while drawing five.
Striker Paco Alcacer has been missing for the past few weeks due to a hamstring injury, and the Yellow Submarine have found it tough to score many goals without him. They’ve scored more than one goal just once in their last six games, and that was against an Osasuna side which was down to 10 men.
With Alcacer out of the side, the burden for scoring the goals has fallen on the shoulders of Gerard Moreno. The Spanish international striker has had a fine season with 8 goals in 14 games, but defender Pau Torres (2 goals) is the only other player besides him and Paco with more than one goal this season.
The Yellow Submarine have also been short in the middle of the park, with injuries to Francis Coquelin and Vicente Iborra forcing defender JuanFoyth to anchor the midfield.
Villarreal will look to get back to form at home, where they are still unbeaten in eight league matches this season (4 wins, 4 draws).
Villarreal coach Unai Emery during their Europa League – Group I match vs Sivasspor
Levante attack looking good
Levante are on the rise. They are now up to 12th in the table after their big 4-3 win over Real Betis, which is their third victory in the last six games. Levante had gone 4-1 up, but Betis were able to get two late consolation goals after Levante defender Rober Pier was sent off in the second half.
Pier will now be suspended for Levante’s trip to Villarreal, which will be a blow to their defence. Pier had been starting in place of the injured Sergio Postigo, and his absence will limit manager Paco Lopez’s options even further.
On the bright side, Levante’s attack has been creating several La Liga 2020 highlights of late. After scoring just 9 goals in their first nine matches, they’ve netted 11 in their last six.
Lead striker Roger Marti has found a rich vein of form of late, with 3 goals in his last five, while winger Jorge de Frutos has 2 goals and 3 assists during that span.
Meanwhile, veteran Jose Luis Morales finally ended his goal drought by scoring a brace and setting up another goal in the win over Betis. The 33-year-old is the club’s leading scorer this season with 6 goals.
Morales scored three of his six goals in Levante’s first two away matches of the season. The Granotas will need him to rediscover that scoring form to reverse their poor away record. They’ve failed to win their last six away from home, with 3 losses and 3 draws.
History
Villarreal have a significant 12-6 edge in wins over Levante in their last 20 league meetings, with two draws.
Although, the two sides split their two matches last season, with the home side winning 2-1 on both occasions. Gerard Moreno and Moi Gomez scored the goals for Villarreal in their win at the El Madrigal. Moreno also scored early in the first match, but two penalties by Roger Marti gave Levante the home win.
Being at home has been quite an advantage in Villarreal-Levante matches. The home side has won seven of the last nine matches, with just one draw and one away win by Villarreal in 2019.
Betting Tip
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Villarreal vs Levante | 1X2 Villarreal @ 1.66 |
| January 02, 21:00 (GMT+8) |
Unsurprisingly, Villarreal are significant 1.66 favourites at home according to SBOTOP odds. Levante are priced at 5.00 to pick up the upset win, while a draw is 3.75.
As good as Levante have looked of late, Villarreal should have too much for them. Gerard Moreno has a history of scoring against Levante and will look to add to his goal tally.
The Granotas have also struggled all season long away from home, so the signs point to the Yellow Submarine picking up the home win.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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The post La Liga: In-Form Levante Look for Big Villarreal Upset appeared first on SBOTOP.
