Ten days ago, Sevilla were beaten 1-3 at home by Aston Villa in a friendly, a result that raised questions about their defensive solidity heading into the second month of the La Liga season. Coach Luis Garcia Plaza will want his side to put that performance behind them quickly. The visitors arrive in Valencia sitting fifth in La Liga with 13 points from seven games, their position in the European places earned through genuine league form, not pre-season momentum. Levante, rooted in 18th with five points from six matches and already in the relegation zone, need to show something at Estadio Ciudad de Valencia.
What’s at stake
Sevilla’s fifth-place standing puts them squarely in Europa League territory, sitting level on points with Real Sociedad in sixth but holding a game in hand. The top four are pulling away, Barcelona leading with 24 points, Atletico Madrid and Real Betis both on 19, Real Madrid on 18. Sevilla are eight points off the Champions League places after seven games, a gap that is not yet unmanageable. A win here keeps pressure on the sides directly above them.
For Levante, the picture is considerably grimmer. Five points from six games leaves them 18th, just above Valencia and Malaga in the bottom three. Elche in 17th have six points, so a win closes that gap immediately. Three consecutive losses in their last four league outings have drained early-season optimism, and a home defeat to a top-five side would only deepen the pressure. Sevilla, on the other hand, know that dropping points against a bottom-three side would hand a psychological advantage to Real Sociedad directly behind them.
How they got here
Levante’s last five La Liga results read: a 1-3 loss at Villarreal, a 2-4 home defeat to Barcelona, a 0-0 draw at Malaga, a 5-2 home win over Real Betis, and a 0-0 draw at Osasuna. The big win over Betis stands out as an anomaly, sandwiched between poor performances. Their only La Liga form right now is reactive: capable of producing goals in bursts, but defensively they have conceded 12 in six games. Sevilla’s last four La Liga outings show a 1-1 draw at Espanyol, back-to-back 1-0 wins over Valencia and Deportivo La Coruna, then a 1-3 home loss to Barcelona. They have been grinding out results rather than playing freely, and Luis Garcia Plaza will be aware that goals have been hard to come by despite the positive points total.
Levante sit 18th with five points, level with Valencia in 19th but having played two fewer games. Sevilla are fifth on 13 points, two ahead of Real Sociedad in sixth on goal difference from games played. The gap between the two sides on matchday 8 is eight points.
Key battle to watch
Levante’s attack showed in the 5-2 win over Betis that they can hurt teams who allow space in behind, with Iván Romero and P. Ratkov capable of exposing high defensive lines. Sevilla’s back line has already conceded nine in seven league games, and the friendly defeat to Aston Villa suggested the same vulnerabilities persist. Whether Garcia Plaza opts to sit deep and hit on the counter or press high to disrupt Levante’s build-up will define the tone of the game. Levante’s own defensive record of 12 goals conceded in six outings gives Sevilla’s attacking players, including Félix Correia and C. Ejuke on the flanks, reason to believe they can create openings even without being at their fluid best.
Key Stats
Match Context
Standings
Head To Head
Our Prediction
The head-to-head record heavily favors Sevilla, who have won seven of the last ten meetings between these sides, though Levante did take both league fixtures last season, winning 2-0 at home and 3-0 away. Sevilla’s European ambitions and superior squad depth should see them control large portions of this game, but their defensive fragility and the friendly form dip against Villa introduce enough doubt to make this a closer contest than the standings suggest. A narrow Sevilla win is the most likely outcome, but Levante’s home record of scoring freely means this is unlikely to be decided before the final quarter.
Levante
Sevilla