Bet on the match
The Catalan club ended last season with serious problems: seven defeats in their last 14 matches across all competitions, while at home they won only twice in their previous 11 competitive fixtures. The summer transfers have radically reshaped the squad — Fernando Calero, José Gragera and Antoniu Roca have left, while Gabriel Moscardo and Álex Calatrava have arrived to strengthen the midfield. In attack, the main hope is Kike García (eight goals), while Pere Milla and Edu Expósito will be responsible for creativity in central midfield.
The Parakeets had a fairly successful pre-season — two wins, three draws and their only defeat came against Coventry (1:3). Espanyol scored in every friendly, netting 14 times.
Levante have also been through a transfer storm: Carlos Espí was sold to Real Madrid, while the experienced Matías Moreno and Diego Pampín left the club. Yanis Moussaoui and Aïssa Mandi arrived in return, but not all the new signings are ready to start. The Frogs' away form is a major concern — nine defeats in their last 13 La Liga away matches, seven of them by at least two goals. The visitors have nevertheless been statistically slightly sharper in attack than the hosts (47 goals to 43 last season). Even in pre-season, the Valencians showed their class — four wins and two defeats, with nine goals scored.
The start of the season is always unpredictable, especially when both teams have been actively reshaping their squads. Espanyol have a chance to make home advantage count and dominate possession. Levante, meanwhile, will rely on counter-attacks, which could pay off given the hosts' defensive instability (55 goals conceded last season). The Valencians were not impressive defensively last season either, conceding the most in La Liga (61 goals). We therefore expect goals at both ends in this match.
