With the teams well underway with the La Liga season, they come back this weekend to improve and maintain their performances from last week and get positive results. Levante will welcome Deportivo La Coruna with the hopes of getting another league win, while Atletico Madrid visits Las Palmas, working to improve from last week’s disoriented performance.
LEVANTE vs. DEPORTIVO LA CORUNA
Three-way: 1: Levante +133; X: +235 Draw; 2: Deportivo la Coruna +275
Spread -0.5: Levante +123; Deportivo la Coruna -133
Total +2: Over -127; Under +121
LEVANTE
Levante supporters will be positive ahead of the new season in La Liga, but also wary of the difficulty levels. The way in which Levante reacted after being relegated, was very impressive as they won the second division in Spain. In the La Liga 2, they scored 47 goals, which indicates that they didn’t have the most lethal of attacks. However, Levante were very strong at the back, as they conceded just 32 goals in 24 league matches on their way to the title. The fans will be hoping that the club continues to remain tight at the back as they look to withstand tough pressure from some of the league’s most attacking teams.
Levante has made a number of signings which will hopefully help the club to maintain their status in the top La Liga. To add to the firepower, they have signed young Ghanian forward Emmanuel Boateng from Moriense for 2 million, while also bringing young Spaniard Ivi from Sevilla Atletic for 1.2 million Euros. They have signed Cheick Doukoure from Metz and playmaker Enis Bardhi from Ujpest for 1.5 million Euros each.
They had a pretty impressive preseason, as they showed improvement in performances, especially in the attacking departments. They played eight friendly matches, out of which, they won five, drew one, and lost two. During this stretch of games, they scored a massive 18 goals. They also conceded 9 goals in these eight games, which indicates towards a bit leaky defense.
Centre forward Roger Marti will be out for this game, as he recovers from the ACL rupture he suffered from in January. He is not expected to return before the second half of the season.
DEPORTIVO LA CORUNA
As the club enters the first full season after manager Pepe Mel was assigned as the coach of the team, the fans will be hoping to see some improvements at least in the performances of the players under the Spaniard. Last year, they just about ensured safety as they finished 16th in the La Liga, with the club ending the season five points above the relegation zone. They managed to score just 43 goals in the 38 league matches while conceding a disappointing 61 goals. Both these numbers show that the club needs to improve their squad on both the attacking as well as the defensive front.
To address the requirement of new players in the squad, the board has brought in Guilherme from Udinese for 4.5 million, as he looks set to strengthen the midfield. They have also signed Swiss Centre back Fabian Schar from Hoffenheim for 2 million Euros, in a bid to improve their defensive woes, along with right back Gerard Valentine from Gimnastic for 1 million. They have also added Belgian youngster Zakaria Bakkali on loan from Valencia.
Deportivo had a really good preseason campaign, as they won 8 of the 10 friendlies that they played, losing one and drawing one. during this period, they were absolutely breathtaking in the attack, as they scored a total of 32 goals while conceding 7 goals. They also managed to keep decent 6 clean sheets, as they ready themselves for a tough season ahead. However, it must be noted, that there weren’t any top class teams in the match up, which means the results aren’t truly indicative of their levels.
The club will be without two influential wingers on this weekend, as Zakaria Bakkali, who had an Achilles tendon problem resurface this week, will probably miss out on the match along with Carles Gill, who is out with a Groin Injury suffered during the preseason.
LEVANTE vs. DEPORTIVO LA CORUNA – Match Prediction
Both these teams are one of the less fancied teams in the Spanish La Liga, and few of the bookies’ favorite to get relegated. However, the season is a long one, and both the teams will have enough time to grab enough points to stay up in the division. Levante started off their season with a win, while Deportivo lost to champions Real Madrid. Moreover, considering the home ground advantage, I think that Levante will win this match.
MY PICK: LEVANTE to win (+133)
LAS PALMAS vs. ATLETICO MADRID
Three-way: 1: Las Palmas +420; X: +282 Draw; 2: Atletico Madrid -118
Spread +0.5: Las Palmas +118; Atletico Madrid -125
Total +2.5: Over +123; Under -118
LAS PALMAS
Las Palmas had some good performances early on last year, but they still struggled towards the end of the La Liga campaign, although they managed to get enough points to end up on the safe side of the bottom half on a comfortable basis. They finished 14th in the La Liga, 8 points clear of the relegation spots. Las Palmas scored 53 goals, which isn’t a bad number considering the size and experience of the club. However, they had one of the worst defenses in the league, as they conceded a whooping 74 goals during the league.
The club hasn’t spent any money in the transfer window, even though they have earned 12 million from the sale of Roque Mesa to Swansea. They have signed keeper Leandron Chichizola from Spezia Calcio and right back Navarro from Almeria, with both joining on free transfers. However, they have signed Barcelona Youngster Sergi Samper on a season long loan deal, while also getting Vitolo on similar conditions, albeit just till January.
Las Palmas had a strong preseason campaign, as the players started to show signs of cohesion and understanding as they were defeated once during all the nine friendly matches that they played. They drew two matches during this period. The club scored a total of 20 goals, while conceding just 6 goals, and also keeping 5 clean sheets. Even though many matches were against inferior opponents, these signs indicate towards an upturn in the performance levels.
Defensive midfielder Vicente Gomez is out for the match due to a muscular injury suffered towards the end of last season, while Alen Halilovic will miss this match with a red card suspension.
ATLETICO MADRID
After finishing third last season, the average fan will say that the season was not bad, as they finished a respectable position for a club of their stature. However, Atletico fans will agree that the club had a few blips, which isn’t a regular occurrence at Diego Simeone’s team. They still had the best defense in the La Liga, as they conceded just 27 goals while scoring the third highest goals in the league with 70. Los Rojiblancos will be looking forward to another season, as they try to challenge the top two of Real and Barca and vie for the La Liga title.
The club has been hit with a transfer embargo, which means that they won’t be able to sign players, or in technical terms, register them until January. This was looking like a mini crisis for the team, as many of the key players were linked with exits. However, the togetherness at the club withstood the test of time, as Griezmann extended his contract as he made it clear he was not going to leave his team at a time when they need him. They have also signed Vitolo from Sevilla, although he will spend the first half of the season on loan at La Palmas.
Los Rojiblancos had a decent preseason preparation, as they took on some European Big Guns and still came out undefeated. They played 6 matches in the past two months, winning four and drawing two. In these matches, they scored a total of 7 goals, while conceding 3, which shows the typical Atletico way of playing, that is, finishing off games with just a goal or two.
They will be missing some of their key players for this match. Left back Felipe Luis is out with a Muscle injury, and forward Gameiro is also out of the squad due to a Groin Injury. They will miss Griezmann who’s moment of madness cost him a red card in the season opener, while Diego Godin will also be out due to the accumulation of cards.
LAS PALMAS vs. ATLETICO MADRID – Match Prediction
Atletico Madrid had a poor start to the season, as they were frustrated against Newly promoted Girona as they played a 2:2 draw with them. Las Palmas will be hoping to take advantage of the current situation with the squad at Atletico, and grab points this weekend.
However, Simeone is more than capable to fire up his players’ morale before an important match, and hence, should be able to navigate through this match with relative ease. Therefore, my prediction will be an away win in this match.
MY PICK: ATLETICO MADRID to win (-118)
