In the previous round, Levante and RCD Espanyol both brought their respective runs to an end. The hosts stopped their poor spell by recording their first La Liga win since October, while RCD Espanyol lost 0:2 to Barcelona in the derby but still have an excellent chance of qualifying for European competitions.
Levante
Before the 3:0 win over Sevilla, which looks somewhat illogical (1.65-1.67 in xG), Levante had collected only one point out of a possible 18 in six La Liga rounds. During that poor run, the newly promoted side also suffered elimination from the Copa del Rey at the hands of Cultural Leonesa (0:1), so their problems with results are obvious. They have scored only seven goals at home – only Rayo Vallecano (5) and Real Oviedo (2) have a worse attacking record in La Liga.
RCD Espanyol
Since the November international break, RCD Espanyol have been extremely consistent. Yes, they exited the Copa del Rey after being eliminated by Atlético Baleares (0:1), but that allowed them to focus fully on the league, where their winning streak has reached five matches. In the derby against Barcelona, Manolo González’s players did not just defend for 90 minutes: they produced 1.60 xG from 14 shots with 31% possession and conceded both goals right at the end.
Levante vs RCD Espanyol Prediction
In the Segunda División season before last, Levante failed to take a single point from two matches against RCD Espanyol (1:4 and 1:2). We will back an RCD Espanyol win – they are on a logical path towards a return to European competitions.
