Overview
Just a few days ago, there were almost no signs that Xabi Alonso would lose his position as head coach. However, the Spanish strategist left Santiago Bernabeu on a mutual agreement just one day after the 2-3 defeat to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final. Immediately after that, Alvaro Arbeloa was appointed as his successor.
Arbeloa officially made his coaching debut in the Copa del Rey match against second-tier Albacete in the middle of the week. However, it was a forgettable night for Los Blancos, when they were eliminated in the round of 16 after a 2-3 defeat.
However, Real Madrid cannot forever sink into the crisis at the beginning of the year. In La Liga, the Royal team is ranked second in the rankings, 4 points behind Barcelona in the context that their arch-rival is in very high form.
In addition, Real Madrid must also focus on the UEFA Champions League, as they are still not sure of a place in the knockout round. Los Blancos will close the group stage with two key matches against Monaco and Benfica respectively on January 20 and 28.
In La Liga this season, Real Madrid has won 8 and only lost 1 in 9 home matches, while Levante has only won 11 points after 10 away games.
Levante entered this match with a three-match unbeaten streak in La Liga, drawing with Real Sociedad and Espanyol, interspersed with a 3-0 victory over Sevilla.
Since Luis Castro was appointed head coach on December 20 last year, the Valencia team has had a relatively positive start. The 45-year-old coach has won 4 points after his first 2 matches leading the team.
After 18 rounds in La Liga, Levante has a record of 3 wins, 5 draws and 10 losses, ranked 19th with 14 points. They are 4 points behind 17th-placed Mallorca but have one match left.
In the two most recent encounters, Levante both lost to Real Madrid with heavy scores of 0-6 and 1-4. However, this team once caused a shock when defeating Los Blancos 2-1 right at the Bernabeu in January 2021.
Despite understanding the difficulties ahead, Levante will find ways to take advantage of Real Madrid's current instability, while the home team is forced to quickly stabilize to avoid another slip-up in this volatile period.
Personnel situation
Real Madrid continues to face personnel difficulties when Trent Alexander-Arnold (leg injury), Eder Militao (shoulder), Brahim Diaz (duty at AFCON) and Ferland Mendy (shoulder) have not yet been able to play. Meanwhile, Antonio Rudiger will have to undergo a late fitness test due to a knee problem.
In the match against Albacete in the Copa del Rey, Jude Bellingham, Thibaut Courtois, Alvaro Carreras, Kylian Mbappe, Rodrygo and Aurelien Tchouameni were all sidelined. All six of these names are likely to return to Los Blancos' starting lineup in the upcoming match.
On Levante's side, the absences include Roger Brugue (knee), Unai Elgezabal (knee) and Victor Garcia (strap). However, the away team is still maintaining a relatively stable performance.
Etta Eyong has been absent in three of the last four rounds of La Liga due to participating in the African Cup, but came on as a substitute in the match against Espanyol and is currently ready to return to the starting lineup.
In addition, Ivan Romero is almost sure of a starting spot in the center of the attack. This striker has scored 4 goals and had 2 assists after 15 appearances in La Liga this season.
Expected lineup:
Real Madrid: Courtois, Carvajal, Asencio, Huijsen, Carreras, Valverde, Tchouameni, Bellingham, Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vinicius.
Ryan, Toljan, De la Fuente, Moreno, Pampin, Martinez, Arriaga, Eyong, Alvarez, Losada, Romero.
The match between Real Madrid and Levante takes place at 8:00 PM on January 17 (Vietnam time).
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