Winning is a must for Real Madrid if they want to keep their hopes to win La Liga alive. Levante finds itself in a must-win situation to stay away from the relegation zone. Both teams will face at the Santiago Bernabeu this Sunday.
Madrid got its fans used to see them win at the end of last year. This past Wednesday, against Schalke in the Champions League, they lost 4-3 and barely moved on in the competition. That was their third consecutive game without a win.
After their loss, the crowd at Bernabeu jeered its own team. This could play in favor of Levante. Madrid just has too much pressure around them at this point. Even Cristiano’s brace did not shadow a disastrous performance by Iker Casillas.
Winning and by a big margin to please the home crowd is something Los Merengues could use as motivation ahead of El Clasico next week. Sergio Ramos return to the lineup is obviously good news for the club.
They can also feed up from knowing that they have a 10-game undefeated streak at home and Levante is one of the worst teams on the road. Carlo Ancelotti could consider giving Keylor Navas a chance to play against his former team.
Levante’s manager, Lucas Alcaraz, would love to sink Madrid’s ship even more. He knows the teams’ morale is as low as it could be, even if Ramos denied it. The coach knows his team needs a perfect game to beat the European kings.
The pressure is on the home side. In the first leg of the tournament, Madrid outscored Levante 5-0 on the road. Since Christmas, Madrid’s goal average per game has dropped significantly. Bale has not scored in the last nine games.
Real Madrid is in second place with 61 points. Levante is in 17th with 25, just one ahead of Almeria. It’s a game of big contrasts in the table but with the same need for points from both teams.
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