Levante vs Athletic Bilbao

Levante vs Athletic Bilbao Preview

There’s a real edge to this one. Two sides who need something from Wednesday night, but for very different reasons. Levante are sitting in 17th, one of those teams that looks dangerously close to getting dragged into a relegation scrap before October is even out. Athletic Bilbao, meanwhile, are in 12th but have games in hand on nearly everyone around them, so the picture is slightly rosier than the table suggests. Still, three straight draws in La Liga is not exactly the form you want when you’re trying to push up the standings.

Luis Castro’s Levante have not won in the league since that eye-catching 5-2 home success over Real Betis back at the end of August. That feels like a lifetime ago now. Three points from five games is relegation form, plain and simple, and with Athletic and Real Sociedad both coming up before a Copa del Rey opener, the next week or so is going to tell you a lot about where this Levante side really is. Home advantage matters, but this is not a team overflowing with confidence right now.

Athletic come in having drawn 0-0 with Valencia at the weekend, which was a third straight draw in La Liga for Edin Terzic’s side. They beat Celta Vigo and Atletico Madrid earlier in the season, so there’s quality in there, but they’re carrying a list of attacking absentees that has to be a concern. Finishing 12th last term, there’s an expectation of improvement this campaign, but Terzic needs his squad to start converting draws into wins.

Levante vs Athletic Bilbao Form

Levante’s numbers over their opening eight league games make for uncomfortable reading: one win, four draws, three defeats, seven points on the board. That one win came in late August, and they have not managed to replicate it since. Their most recent outing was a 1-1 at home to Deportivo La Coruna, which sums up where they are right now. Not catastrophically bad, but not good enough either. A team picking up draws when they need wins and shipping goals when they need clean sheets.

Athletic’s form is more of a mixed bag. Two wins, three draws, two defeats from seven outings, and nine points on the board. The wins came against decent opposition in Celta and Atletico, so there’s genuine quality when they click. But three straight draws, including that blank at Valencia, suggests a team that’s grinding a bit. The attacking absentees are clearly having an impact. When Nico Williams and Oihan Sancet are both out, Athletic lose a significant portion of their creativity and direct threat.

Worth noting that Athletic’s games in hand do change the context here. If they start picking up wins, they could move up quickly. But a run of draws in league football often comes down to a lack of cutting edge in the final third, and the injury list is not helping that cause right now. This Wednesday fixture feels like a chance to finally turn a draw into three points, but they’ll need to work for it.

Levante vs Athletic Bilbao Head to Head

The head-to-head record here is pretty emphatic and it does not make for good reading if you’re a Levante fan. The Frogs have only managed eight wins from their last 38 meetings with Athletic across all competitions, losing 22 of those games. Athletic have won the last three encounters between the sides, including a comfortable 2-0 victory in the corresponding fixture last season. Levante’s last win over Athletic dates all the way back to December 2018, which is a long time for one side to have the upper hand over another.

That said, history is one thing and team context is another. Athletic are missing key attacking players this week, and Levante are at home with something to prove. The recent trend heavily favours the visitors, but a motivated home side with nothing to lose can make the head-to-head record irrelevant on a given night.

Levante vs Athletic Bilbao Lineups

Levante have a couple of injury concerns to deal with. Hugo Sotelo and Alex Primo are both confirmed out, while Karl Etta Eyong is a doubt heading into Wednesday. Despite that, Luis Castro looks set to go with a recognisable attacking setup. Ivan Romero, who has three goals in eight appearances this season for a side that has really struggled to score, is set to operate in the final third again. Victor Garcia should get the nod on the right, and Petar Ratkov could push through the middle. The lineup looks reasonably solid in shape but does rely heavily on Romero carrying the attacking threat.

Athletic’s selection headaches are more significant. Oihan Sancet, Nico Williams, and Unai Egiluz are all out injured, which strips them of real quality in the final third. Gorka Guruzeta is facing a late fitness test, so there’s uncertainty in attack too. The better news is that Dani Vivian is back available, and Peio Canales and Alvaro Djalo are both expected to be in the squad. Maroan Sannadi looks likely to lead the line through the middle. It’s a makeshift front line compared to what Terzic would ideally want, and that has to influence how you look at the attacking output Athletic can realistically produce on the night.

Levante vs Athletic Bilbao Tactics

Levante under Castro tend to be organised and hard to break down at home, which fits with a side that has drawn four times already this season. They’ll be looking to stay compact, make themselves difficult to play through, and rely on Romero to produce moments of quality on the counter or from set pieces. With the personnel available, they are unlikely to dominate possession against Athletic, so expect them to sit in blocks of four and try to nick something on transitions.

Athletic will look to press high and use their wide areas, but with Williams absent, there’s a real question about where the creativity comes from. Berenguer and Navarro can both carry the ball, and Canales offers some craft in midfield, but this is a significantly weakened attacking unit compared to what Terzic would prefer to put out. Sannadi as the lone striker is an unknown quantity at this level for many fans, and Athletic may end up being too predictable without their usual attacking spark. Expect a tight, fairly cautious game where neither side is desperate to open up and get caught on the break.

Levante vs Athletic Bilbao Prediction and Betting Tips

Both sides have clear reasons to be cautious here. Levante need points but are low on confidence and missing options. Athletic have the better squad on paper but are without three key attacking players and have drawn three on the bounce. The head-to-head record favours Athletic, but their attacking firepower is severely diminished this week, and Levante at home with their backs against the wall is a different proposition to what the recent record suggests.

A draw feels like the most natural outcome given everything in play. Athletic are not going to batter a defensively organised Levante with a weakened front line, and Levante do not look like a team capable of finding the quality to win a game against a side with Athletic’s defensive structure. Both teams sharing the spoils makes sense, and a 1-1 scoreline would reflect how both sides are likely to approach this one.