Real Madrid’s challenge for the Primera Division title will surely be over if they fail to overcome Levante away from home on Sunday.
Los Blancos fell nine points behind leaders Barcelona after they were stunned 2-1 at home by Girona in a match that saw Sergio Ramos sent off late on.
Levante, meanwhile, ended a poor sequence of results with a stunning 4-1 win over Celta Vigo last Saturday, pushing them further into the middle of the Primera Division table.
| Game | Levante vs Real Madrid |
| Date | Sunday, February 24 |
| Time | 7:45pm GMT / 2:45pm ET |
| Stream (US only) | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
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) |
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game will be streamed on Eleven Sports 1.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| N/A | Eleven Sports 1 |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Levante squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Oier, Koke, Fernandez |
| Defenders | Cabaco, Rober, Benito, Chema, Coke, Postigo, Vezo |
| Midfielders | Jason, Rochina, Campana, Bardhi, Tono, Prcic, Vukcevic, Samu Garcia |
| Forwards | Roger, Morales, Mayoral, Simon, Dwamena, Boateng |
Levante have some serious issues in their defence, where Tono Garcia has been ruled out along with Coke and Sergio Postigo.
Elsewhere in their team, there are not such headaches, although Borja Mayoral is missing.
Levante starting XI: Fernandez; Cabaco, Rober, Vezo; Simon, Rochina, Campana, Bardhi, Luna; Morales, Roger.
| Position | Real Madrid squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Navas, Casilla, Courtois, Zidane |
| Defenders | Carvajal, Vallejo, Nacho, Varane, Marcelo, Odriozoloa, Reguilon |
| Midfielders | Kroos, Modric, Casemiro, Valverde, Vazquez, Llorente, Asensio, Isco, Ceballos, B. Diaz |
| Forwards | Marcelo, Benzema, Bale, Vinicius Junior |
Sergio Ramos is suspended after his red card last weekend, with Nacho Fernandez taking his spot in the defence.
Marcos Llorente and Isco miss out on the matchday lineup with injuries, while Sergio Reguilon is preferred to Marcelo after the Brazilian admitted that he struggled last weekend.
Lucas Vazquez is handed the start in attack, with Gareth Bale and Marco Asensio on the bench.
Real Madrid starting XI: Courtois; Carvajal, Varane, Nacho, Reguilon; Modric, Casemiro, Kroos; Vazquez, Benzema, Vinicius.
Betting & Match Odds
Real Madrid are hot 1/2 favourites to win this game, while Levante can be backed at 5/1 with Bet365 . Meanwhile, a draw is available at 15/4.
Match Preview
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Real Madrid’s season has been littered with underachievement. That was again the case a week ago as they were defeat 2-1 at home by Girona, having taken the lead through Casemiro midway through the first half.
Los Blancos’ inability to keep hold of their advantage opened up a nine-point chasm to leaders Barcelona ahead of the weekend’s matches and means that Bernabeu side will need a good deal of outside assistance if they are to reclaim a title they last won in the 2016-17 season.
After losing to opponents who had not won in their previous 10 matches, it has raised serious questions of their fading title hopes, but interim head coach Santi Solari has refused to accept defeat.
“We have to get up quickly and keep going, all three competitions are still open for us,” he said, referring to the Copa del Rey, the Champions League and La Liga.
Meanwhile, rifts in the squad have been made public by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois , who launched a broadside at Gareth Bale and Toni Kroos for failing to attend a team meal.
"They reckoned the dinner was too late at night," the Belgian told HLN . "We had arranged to be in the restaurant at 9.30pm and we started out meal around 10.15pm and by midnight we were having coffee.
"But Bale had told us: ‘I am not coming to join you, guys. I go to bed at 11.’"
Greater togetherness will need to be on display against opponents who have been surprisingly effective against Madrid in recent months.
Indeed, since returning to the top flight, Levante have scored a couple of draws against Madrid and even managed to defeat them at the Bernabeu earlier this season.
Los Blancos’ title hopes hang by a thread thinner than ever.
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