Action continues in La Liga this weekend, with Villarreal potentially moving up to fourth in the standings with a home win over Levante. The hosts are one of the in-form teams in the Spanish top-flight, and with their opponents having won just three times all season long, it is Villarreal who go into the clash as the firm favourites for victory.
Spanish La Liga – Villarreal v Levante – Estadio de la Cerámica, Vilareal – Saturday 20th January – 17:30 UK Time
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Draw Best Odd of: 10/3 at Skybet |
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Villareal FC
LevanteMatch Preview
Villarreal host Leganes in the second leg of their Copa del Rey round of 16 tie on Wednesday evening, with the duo both having their sights on a place in the quarter finals of the competition in Spain. With just a single goal having separated the duo last time around, many are predicting another close encounter this week. Just four points separate the duo in the La Liga standings, making this one of the ties of the round in a competition in which Barcelona are the reigning champions. For those still unsure of who to back, be sure to take a look at our top betting tip below. However, let’s first take a closer look at the two teams, starting with the home side.
Villarreal Team News & Form
Villarreal come into this week’s clash with Leganes off the back of an impressive 1-0 away win at reigning La Liga champions Real Madrid, with young midfielder Pablo Fornals scoring the all-important winner. The success extended their unbeaten run to four matches in La Liga, with Javier Calleja’s men now sitting just a single point behind Zinedine Zidane’s men in the standings. Despite having been linked with a big money move to China in the January transfer window, star Striker Cedric Bakambu could well line up for the hosts this weekend, with the Congo international having scored nine league goals already this season.
Levante Team News & Form
Levante suffered a 1-0 home defeat to Celta Vigo last time around, a result which leaves them 16th in the standings, just two points above the relegation zone. Manager Juan Ramón López Muñiz certainly has a big job on his hands at the start of 2018, with his team having collected just two points from their last five matches in the league. Forward Roger Matri will perhaps lead the line on Saturday evening.
Head to Head
The two teams have met 19 times in the past, with Villarreal having won on 13 occasions, as well as registering one draw in this time. However, Levante won the last time the two teams met back in August last year, running out narrow 1-0 victors, making up for their 3-0 loss away from home in the same season.
Villarreal v Levante – Betting Odds and Predictions
Given their position in the table and their status as the home team on Sunday evening, it comes as little surprise that it is Villarreal who are the firm favourites for victory. The hosts can be backed at odds of 2/5 with Unibet, while those looking to bet on an away win for Levante can take advantage of 7/1 odds from William Hill.
Top Betting Tip Villarreal v Levante
However, our top betting tip for the match is to bet on there being over 2.5 goals during the 90 minutes, which is available at odds of 17/20 with Ladbrokes.