The La Liga Matchday 20 clash between Real Madrid and Levante UD will take place on 17 January at the Santiago Bernabeu. Real Madrid vs Levante UD: prediction, betting odds and statistics.
Real Madrid
After the defeat to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final, head coach Xabi Alonso left the club. The Spanish coach’s departure came as a surprise, given that Real Madrid had managed to come through a difficult spell. Before El Clasico, the home team put together a five-match winning run across all competitions, including three consecutive league victories. After the first half of the league season, the side sit second in the standings and are only four points behind leaders Barcelona. It is worth noting that the club are among La Liga’s most reliable defensive sides: since the start of the season they have conceded 17 goals, the best record alongside Villarreal and Atletico Madrid. However, the hosts are now led by Alvaro Arbeloa, who has been promoted to the senior side from the reserve team.
- In this league campaign, Real Madrid have scored 41 goals, with only Barcelona (53) scoring more.
- The club’s uncompromising home run in the league stands at 17 matches (15 wins, 2 defeats).
- At least two goals have been scored in seven consecutive matches involving the team in this competition.
Potential Real Madrid Lineup (4-4-2)*
Thibaut Courtois – Raul Asencio, Antonio Rudiger, Federico Valverde, Alvaro Carreras – Rodrygo, Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni, Jude Bellingham – Vinicius Junior, Gonzalo Garcia.
Midfielder Brahim Diaz is unavailable due to his involvement at the Africa Cup of Nations. Defenders Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ferland Mendy and Eder Militao, as well as forwards Kylian Mbappe and Rodrygo, will miss the game through injury.
Levante UD
The club have also recently appointed a new head coach. In their first two La Liga matches under Luis Castro, Levante UD have avoided defeat and taken four points from six. After an unexpected thrashing of Sevilla, the away side held strong Espanyol to a 1:1 draw, with Espanyol sitting in the top five. Overall, the Valencian team’s unbeaten run in the league now stands at three matches (1 win, 2 draws), which is the club’s best sequence since returning to the top flight. Even so, Levante UD remain in the relegation zone. They are four points off safety in 17th place, although they still have a game in hand.
- Levante UD have won with a (+1.5) handicap in six of their last eight away matches in La Liga.
- In this tournament campaign, the club have conceded 30 goals in total, with only two teams having a worse record.
- At least two goals have been scored in Levante UD’s last five league matches.
Potential Levante UD Lineup (4-5-1)*
Mathew Ryan – Jeremy Toljan, Adri, Matias Moreno, Diego Pampin – Iker Losada, Kervin Arriaga, Carlos Alvarez Rivera, Karim Tunde, Pablo Martinez – Ivan Romero.
Defender Unai Elgezabal and midfielder Victor Garcia are unavailable due to injuries. The participation of midfielders Kervin Arriaga and Karim Tunde is in doubt.
Referee
Miguel Sesma Espinosa (Spain)
Matches – 9 (La Liga, 2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 23;
Average yellow cards per match – 2.6;
Red cards shown – 0;
Fouls per match on average – 27;
Penalties – 11%.
Real Madrid vs Levante UD: Match Prediction
Real Madrid have made a fairly unexpected change of head coach. Alvaro Arbeloa will lead the team out for a La Liga match for the first time, and at such a moment it is crucial to avoid an unnecessary slip-up—especially given that the hosts are considered clear favourites. However, there do not appear to be any real reasons for concern. Before Xabi Alonso’s departure, the club worked their way out of a slump and won three straight league matches. At home, the team have suffered only one setback in nine matches in this season’s competition. The only slight worry is defensive errors, which have seen the home side concede in five of their last seven La Liga games.
Levante UD have already played two matches under their new coach, and Luis Castro remains unbeaten so far. Overall, the club have gone three straight La Liga matches without defeat (1 win, 2 draws), but they have not faced opponents of Real Madrid’s calibre during that run. In their last 12 head-to-head meetings on the Madrid side’s ground, the visitors have managed to take points only three times. That said, it is worth noting that in four of the last five away games against Real Madrid, Levante UD have managed to score.
Prediction: Real Madrid to win + Both teams to score – Yes
* For each team, the starting XI listed is from their most recent match in this competition.
