Real Madrid go chasing their second win of the Primera Division season against Levante at the Bernabeu on Saturday.
Zinedine Zidane’s side may be undefeated, but after draws against Valladolid and Villarreal, they have made an unconvincing start to the season.
Indeed, they go into this match below their rivals in the standings, with the Valencia club having recorded successive wins over the two sides that Los Blancos have just drawn against.
| Game | Real Madrid vs Levante |
| Date | Saturday, September 14 |
| Time | 12:00 noon BST / 7:00am ET |
| Stream (US) | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
For UK readers, get your fix on the latest football on TV here! US readers can find out what soccer is on TV here!
In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial) .
New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| beIN Sports / beIN Sports en Espanol | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
The match will be available to watch live on Premier Sports 1. It can be streamed via Premier Player.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Premier Sports 1 | Premier Player |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Real Madrid squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Courtois, Navas |
| Defenders | Ramos, Varane, Carvajal, Marcelo, Militao, Nacho, Odriozola, Mendy |
| Midfielders | Kroos, Casemiro, Rodriguez |
| Forwards | Benzema, Jovic, Hazard, Vinicius, Rodrygo, Bale, Vazquez, Mariano, Diaz |
Confirmed Real Madrid XI: Courtois; Carvajal, Ramos, Varane, Marcelo; James, Casemiro, Kroos; Vazquez, Bezema, Vinicius
| Position | Levante squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Olazabal, Fernandez |
| Defenders | Vezo, Cabaco, Postigo, Duarte, Clerc, Miramon, Coke |
| Midfielders | Radoja, Vukcevic, Bardhi, Campana, Melero, Rochina |
| Forwards | Marti, Morales, Mayoral, Leon |
Confirmed Levante XI: Aitor Fernandez, Miramon, Vezo, Duarte, Postigo, Clerc; Rochina, Vukcevic, Campana, Morales; Mayoral
Betting & Match Odds
Real Madrid are heavy 2/9 favourites to win this match with bet365. Levante can be backed at 11/1, while a draw is on offer at 11/2.
Match Preview
Getty ImagesReal Madrid are already playing catch-up in the Primera Division standings, having taken only five points from their opening three games, but Zinedine Zidane and his troops are targeting better from Saturday’s fixture against Levante at the Bernabeu.
Successive draws against Valladolid and Villarreal represent disappointing outcomes for the capital side, but while neighbours Atletico Madrid have set the early La Liga pace with three wins from three, at least Los Blancos are ahead of Clasico rivals Barcelona.
Zidane, however, accepts that the team is going through a difficult time.
“It’s a complicated period,” he confessed on Friday. “We’re not comfortable with it, but it is what it is. Our opponents have had 15 days to prepare for the game, but we’ll have three players who will only have done one training session.”
While Luka Modric has dropped out injured due to an injury sustained on international duty, the two-week recess has allowed Madrid to regain the services of James Rodriguez and Eden Hazard, who could make his competitive debut at the weekend, particularly as Gareth Bale is banned.
“There have been negative things and positive things,” Zidane reflected upon the break. “We’ve lost Luka but regained others.
“You have to go slowly with Eden because he’s been injured for three weeks. We all really want to see him, but we have to be calm with him because there’s a lot of pressure and a lot of expectation. He’s prepared but I’ll be the one to decide how much time to give him.
“We’ve got players who don’t stop because they’re internationals. I trust the squad that works here because they are the best. I hope that after Luka, no-one comes back injured.
“Now we’ve got seven games in 21 days and we’re going to have to use the full squad. The critics are not going to change, but what we want to do is change the results of our matches.”
Levante, meanwhile, have a strong record in Madrid, having won 2-1 at the Bernabeu last October and drawn in their previous meeting in the capital.
As such, head coach Paco Lopez retains much optimism ahead of the fixture as his side go chasing a third successive win.
“Soccer is a game that can equal both teams,” he said. “Anything can happen within a single match. That’s why we are modest going into this type of game. But it’s different in the long term over a league season.”
If Levante complete a hat-trick of wins on Saturday, it will start to look less like a fluke and more like a trend. It would also send Real Madrid spinning into crisis as the Champions League looms.