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An upbeat Levante will be looking to cause another upset this week when they face Villarreal in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey.
Currently on a seven-game unbeaten run, the Granotas are coming off the back of a stunning 2-1 win over Spanish champions Real Madrid in La Liga.
Jose Luis and Roger Marti were on target for the Valencian outfit as they fought back from a goal down to beat the mighty Galacticos in their own backyard.
In the league cup, Paco Lopez's side progressed to this stage by dispatching opponents with a combined score of 12-4 over the last four rounds.
With just a single defeat in their last 12 games in all competitions, Levante are in the form of their lives at the moment.
However, that one defeat during this amazing run came co-incidentally against Villarreal, who will look to that 2-1 win at the start of the year for inspiration.
Even though the Yellow Submarine are struggling to move up into the league's top-four standings, they're currently scripting history of their own.
Unai Emery's men have lost just once from the last 28 games in all competitions. That's an incredible record considering their not-so-stellar standards, and remain unbeaten in the last eight.
Both teams are in a great form at the moment, and we expect fireworks at the Estadi Ciutat de València.
Levante vs Villarreal Head-To-Head
In 30 meetings, Villarreal have come out on top 19 times, compared to only seven by Levante. The last Levante victory came back in August 2019 in a La Liga clash.
Levante Form Guide (all competitions): D-D-D-W-W
Villarreal Form Guide (all competitions): W-D-D-W-D
Levante vs Villarreal Team News
Levante
The home side will be missing four players through injury. Cheick Doukoure, Jose Campana, Nikola Vukcevic, and Jorge de Frutos are sidelined.
Left-back Tono must proceed with caution as he's just one booking away from a suspension in the competition.
Injured: Cheick Doukoure, Jose Campana, Nikola Vukcevic, and Jorge de Frutos
Suspended: None
Unavailable: None
Villarreal
Unai Emery is facing a mini-crisis at the moment. There are six players on the injury list, including in-form striker Gerard Moreno, the side's top-scorer this season with 10 goals.
Left-back Jaume Costa continues his recovery from a positive COVID-19 test in quarantine and won't be available for selection.
Injured: Alberto Moreno, Vicente Iborra, Mario Gaspar, Juan Foyth, Gerard Moreno, and Samu Chukwueze.
Suspended: None
Unavailable: Jaume Costa
Levante vs Villarreal Predicted XI
Levante (4-2-3-1): Daniel Cardenas; Coke, Sergio Postigo, Ruben Vezo, Tono; Gonzalo Melero, Mickael Malsa; Son, Enis Bardhi, Jorge Morales; Sergio Leon.
Villarreal (4-2-3-1): Geronimo Rulli; Ruben Pena, Ramiro Funes Mori, Pau Torres, Pervis Estupinan; Francis Coquelin, Etienne Capoue; Alex Baena, Miguel Trigueros, Moi Gomez; Paco Alcacer.
Levante vs Villarreal Prediction
With both sides firing on all cylinders lately, we expect goals to be flying in from both ends.
However, the away side's greater squad depth and relative experience of playing in more advanced rounds than Levante will play a key role in their progression.
We expect Villarreal to win a high-scoring game by a narrow margin.
Prediction: Levante 2-3 Villarreal
