Osasuna vs Levante Prediction
Bottom of the Table Battle: Osasuna vs Levante
Preview
Ag man, this is like watching two bokkies fight over the last piece of biltong! Both these teams are having a proper kak time in La Liga this season. Osasuna sitting 17th with only 12 points from 14 games, while Levante is rock bottom with just 9 points. Not exactly the form of champions, is it?
Looking at recent results, Osasuna managed a 2-2 draw against Mallorca in their last La Liga game, but before that they lost 1-3 to Real Sociedad and 0-1 to Sevilla. Their only wins recently came against lower division teams in the Copa del Rey - 5-3 against Ebro and 5-0 against CD Sant Jordi. In La Liga proper, they've been struggling to find the back of the net consistently.
Levante's form is even worse, boet! They've lost their last four La Liga games - 0-2 to Athletic Club, 0-1 to Valencia, 1-3 to Atletico Madrid, and 1-2 to Celta Vigo. Like Osasuna, their recent wins came against weaker opposition in the cup. They're scoring only 1.1 goals per game and conceding 1.6, which is not the recipe for success.
The head-to-head record is pretty even - 9 matches with Osasuna winning 4, Levante 3, and 2 draws. At home, Osasuna has a 50% win rate against Levante, but their current home form is shocking - only 33.33% win rate in their last 10 home games.
What's interesting is that Levante actually has a better away win percentage (42.86%) than Osasuna's home win percentage! But both teams are conceding goals for fun - Osasuna letting in 2.33 per game at home, Levante 1.29 away.
The stats show both teams have been struggling in front of goal in La Liga matches. Osasuna averages 1.7 goals per game but many came against cup teams. Levante is even worse with just 1.1 per game. When you're this low on the table, you tend to play more cautiously, and I reckon we'll see a tight, nervous affair rather than a goal festival.
Both teams need the points badly, which often leads to cagey football rather than all-out attack. Given their recent La Liga scoring records and the pressure they're under, I'm expecting a low-scoring game here.