Levante face Athletic Club on Wednesday at the Estadio Ciudad de Valencia needing points after an inconsistent start. The granotes, 14th in the table with five points, are looking to react following a 2-4 home defeat to Barcelona in their last outing. The team has the collective target of reaching 120 minutes of effective high-intensity play in this match, a key metric for their performance.
The most significant absence is midfielder Hugo Sotelo, sidelined with a knee injury until late October. Forward Etta Eyong is also unavailable with a thigh problem. These losses will force the manager to reshuffle his starting eleven, which last featured Mathew Ryan in goal and a back line of Jeremy Toljan, Dela, Aïssa Mandi and Manu Sánchez.
Athletic arrive in good form, taking seven points from their last three matches after beating Atlético Madrid and Celta Vigo. Their attack, led by the Williams brothers Nico and Iñaki, presents a stern test for the home defence. Levante will rely on the form of Brugui, the team's top scorer with three goals in four appearances. With an average of 1.2 points per game so far this season, Levante need a positive result to maintain that pace and improve their standing.
A positive result would be key ahead of a trip to face Villarreal this weekend, their next fixture in La Liga. Fans can check the full schedule on our fixtures page and the squad status in the injuries section. Kick-off is at 19:30 UTC.
