Real Madrid will be looking to return to winning ways in La Liga when they travel to Levante on Sunday night.
Madrid suffered a shock 2-1 home defeat to Girona last weekend, which was a result that severely dented their already-slim hopes of challenging for the title. Levante, meanwhile, have had an inconsistent season to date but currently occupy 12th spot in the table entering Week 25 in Spain's top flight.
Levante
© ReutersEight wins, six draws and 10 defeats - that is how Levante have performed in the league this season, with a total of 30 points leaving them in 12th position in the division.
The Frogs are just three points off the top eight, while they are seven points clear of the bottom three and it does seem unlikely that they will get pulled into a relegation battle in the final months of the campaign.
Promoted from the Segunda Division as winners in 2017, Levante secured another season of La Liga football by finishing 15th in the top flight last term. The Valencia-based outfit have now been present in eight of the last nine La Liga campaigns, which is an indication of their credentials.
Levante will also enter this match off the back of an impressive 4-1 victory away to Celta Vigo last weekend, but they have lost to Alaves and Sevilla in two of their last four matches, shipping seven goals in the process.
What's more, no team in Spain's top flight has conceded more goals than Levante this season. Indeed, a total of 43 conceded represents the worst record in the division. Luckily they have been strong down the other end and actually boast the fourth-best attack in La Liga entering Week 25.
Roger Marti and Jose Luis Morales have 17 league goals between them this season and recent results suggest that Levante will make it very difficult for Los Blancos to collect all three points.
Indeed, the Frogs recorded a 2-1 win at the Bernabeu earlier this season, while Madrid have won just one of the last four league matches between the two teams.
Paco Lopez's side will certainly be the underdogs on Sunday night, but they beat Barcelona at home in the Copa del Rey last month and could make it a very tough 90 minutes for the European champions.
Recent form: LWLDLW
Recent form (all competitions): LWLDLW
Real Madrid
© ReutersA little wobble from Barcelona, coupled with a strong run of form for Madrid, led to suggestions that Santiago Solari's team were back in the title race, which did not seem possible in the latter stages of 2018.
However, Los Blancos' challenge might well have ended with their shock 2-1 home defeat to Girona last weekend. Not too many saw that result coming when considering Madrid's excellent form, which had seen them put five straight league victories on the board to move into second spot in the table.
As it stands, the Whites are third in the table, two points off second-placed Atletico Madrid and nine behind leaders Barcelona. Seven league defeats is just not good enough for a team with title ambitions.
Madrid are still chasing trophies, however, and will welcome Barcelona to the Bernabeu on Wednesday night for the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final, which is locked at 1-1 from the first leg earlier this month.
Solari's team will then welcome Barcelona in La Liga, before hosting Dutch giants Ajax in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, which Madrid lead 2-1 following a positive result in Amsterdam.
It has been a strange season for the European champions, but they will be keen to secure a positive result on Sunday ahead of three huge matches in a row, which may well define their campaign.
This is the first time in 2019 that Madrid have had a whole week to prepare for a game, meanwhile, and the rest has come at the perfect moment for the capital giants, who have won six, drawn two and lost four of their 12 league matches on their travels during the 2018-19 campaign.
Recent form: WWWWWL
Recent form (all competitions): WWDWWL
Team News
© ReutersLevante are again expected to be without Sergio Postigo due to a calf problem, but Erick Cabaco is available after sitting out the win over Celta through suspension.
Borja Mayoral is pushing for a start against his parent club, although it seems likely that Morales and Marti will feature in the final third, with Jason and Moses Simon also hoping for spots in the team.
As for Madrid, Marcos Llorente was the only first-team player missing from Friday's training session.
Indeed, Isco was able to train with the main group following a back problem, but it seems unlikely that the attacker will be in Solari's XI this weekend.
There will be no Sergio Ramos, meanwhile, with the club captain suspended following his red card in the home defeat to Girona last weekend.
As a result, Nacho will come into the back four, while Vinicius Junior and Dani Carvajal are pushing for starts.
Gareth Bale, Marco Asensio and Lucas Vazquez are seemingly battling for the final position in attack alongside leading scorer Karim Benzema and in-form Vinicius.
Levante possible starting lineup:
Aitor; Coke, Vezo, Cabaco; Simon, Rochina, Campana, Bardhi, Luna; Marti, Morales
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Carvajal, Nacho, Varane, Reguilon; Casemiro, Kroos, Modric; Vinicius, Benzema, Lucas
Head To Head
As mentioned, Levante recorded a 2-1 victory at the Bernabeu earlier this season. The last clash between the two teams in Valencia finished in a 2-2 draw last February.
Madrid have not beaten Levante in a league match since a 3-1 victory away from home in March 2016, while Levante's last home victory over Los Blancos occurred in September 2011.
We say: Levante 1-2 Real Madrid
Levante are a very dangerous team - particularly at home - but we expect Madrid to put three points on the board as they lead into a vital run of matches.
