The Matchday 1 La Liga clash between Alaves and Levante will take place on August 16 at the Mendizorroza Stadium in Vitoria-Gasteiz. Alaves vs. Levante: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Alaves
Eduardo Coudet's side finished in 14th place last season. The team managed to avoid relegation to Segunda thanks to a strong finish to the season with 2 wins and 1 draw. It's worth noting that the Basque team had one of the weakest attacks in La Liga 2024/25, especially on their home turf. In 19 home games, the club scored just 14 goals, only three more than Valladolid, who had the worst home record. However, Alaves' defense at home was third-best in the Primera, conceding only 17 goals.
This summer, defender Santiago Mouriño and forward Tomas Conechny left the club. The team was strengthened by defenders Jonny Otto and Youssef Enriques.
- No more than two goals have been scored in the Basques' last 10 La Liga matches.
- Alaves has not lost in 6 of their last 7 Primera matches (3 wins, 3 draws).
- In the last 14 home games in the championship, the club has not scored more than 1 goal.
Predicted lineup for Alaves (4-4-2)
Antonio Sivera – Facundo Garces, Manu Sanchez, Nahuel Tenaglia, Alexander Sedlar – Antonio Blanco, Jon Guridi, Carlos Benavides, Carles Alena – Kike Garcia, Carlos Vicente.
Levante
The Valencians have returned to the Primera after three years. Julian Calero's side won the Segunda last season, securing a direct ticket to the elite of Spanish football in a battle with three other rivals. The team guaranteed their promotion to La Liga thanks to a four-match winning streak at the end of the championship, as well as their effective attacking play, scoring 69 goals. Only Almeria scored more in the Segunda 2024/25 with 72 goals. Additionally, Levante was the best team in Spain's second division in away matches, earning 33 points from 21 games.
The club did not make any significant acquisitions this summer, except for the loan of defender Manu Sanchez from Celta. It's also worth noting that due to financial fair play issues, the club had only 10 registered players a day before the tournament started.
- At least 3 goals were scored in 7 of the last 8 matches of the Valencians in the Primera.
- Both teams scored in 7 of Levante's last 8 championship matches.
- The team scored in 7 of their last 8 away games in La Liga.
Predicted lineup for Levante (4-4-2)
Alfonso Pastor – Adrian de la Fuente, Diego Pampin, Jorge Cabello, Unai Elgezabal – Carlos Alvarez, Oriol Rey, Pablo Martinez, Sergio Lozano – Roger Brugué, Jose Luis Morales.
Referee:
Miguel Sesma Espinosa (Spain)
Matches – 24 (La Liga, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 109;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.5;
Red cards shown – 4;
Average fouls per match – 27;
Penalties – 54%.
Match Prediction: Alaves vs. Levante
The Valencians had one of the best attacking lines in the Segunda, but even in the second division, their average scoring was only 1.6 goals. It will be noticeably more challenging to score in the Primera. In the first round, they will face Alaves, who last season conceded no more than one goal per game on average at home.
I believe the visitors are unlikely to score, or if they do, it will not be more than once. The Basques have an excellent defense and have not conceded more than one goal in their last nine Primera matches. Alaves' summer transfer campaign showed that the club focused on acquiring good defenders without signing attacking players. This clearly indicates that the Basques will continue to prioritize a solid defensive strategy this season.
My prediction: Levante Individual Total Under 1
