Critical Clash: Levante and Atlético Face Off in Pursuit of Vital Points

Today, Levante and Atlético Madrid will face off with a clear objective: to secure a crucial win. Levante is striving to accumulate points to move closer to safety, currently marked by Getafe, who sits five points ahead of the Valencia side. Conversely, Atlético is looking to apply pressure on the teams above them, Barcelona and Madrid, who are eight and seven points ahead, respectively.

With such critical goals in mind, both teams cannot afford to drop points; failure to win would further distance them from their aspirations for safety or the title. These objectives, which seemed unreachable weeks ago, are still very much alive for both Levante and Atlético, as long as their determination and mathematical possibilities allow.

For the visiting team, distractions from the transfer market are taking the focus away from a match where expectations remain high for Julián to regain his form, although he is likely to play a substitute role due to rotation strategies by the Atlético coaching staff. His nine consecutive matches without scoring are a burden that not even the impressive performance of Sorloth—who has netted five goals in seven matches this year—can offset. Indeed, nothing would propel Atlético closer to their goal than a return to the best version of Julián, reminiscent of last season when he achieved a career-high of 29 goals.

With Griezmann sidelined due to injury, Julián and Sorloth are the only pure offensive options available for Atlético, a situation that poses challenges as they contend in multiple competitions. Following today’s match, Atlético will face Real Betis and the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey, alongside a significant match against Bodo on Wednesday, all of which necessitate squad rotation as emphasized by coach Simeone.

Giuliano will miss the match due to a fever that previously kept him from contributing during the challenging encounter against Bodo. Baena, Nico, and Almada are the most logical options to fill the midfield alongside the indispensable Barrios, while Koke and Cardoso will continue to alternate in the pivot role.

Currently, Levante remains second to last in the standings with 17 points, five points shy of safety and with a match in hand. Coach Luís Castro will be without key players Roger Brugué, Víctor García, Diego Pampín, and Unai Elgezabal for this crucial match. Elgezabal has been sidelined for over a month and a half but has recently returned to training after recovering from meniscus issues, although he will not feature in the squad today.

On a positive note for the Levante manager, Kareem Tundé has returned to the available list after recovering from a viral illness that forced him to miss last weekend’s match against Elche.