Preview: Cultural Leonesa vs Levante - prediction, team news, lineups

Spanish second division side Cultural Leonesa will welcome La Liga side Levante in the second round of this season’s Copa del Rey on Wednesday.

This will mark the first official meeting between the two sides, adding an intriguing and fresh competitive narrative to the tie.

Match preview

Cultural Leonesa arrive for this Copa del Rey tie on the back of a mixed but competitive run of form - across their last six matches in all competitions, they have recorded four wins and two defeats, showing a level of consistency that keeps them competitive on multiple fronts.

Notable results include a 4-2 second-round cup victory over Andorra CF and a 2-1 league win away at Eibar, performances that highlight their ability to score freely and to deliver strong displays away from home, both important factors in knockout football.

In Segunda Division action, Cultural Leonesa have shown resilience and balance; wins over Cadiz and Malaga were balanced by narrow defeats against Granada and Huesca, suggesting a side capable of grinding out results while still needing marginal improvements at the back.

Their most recent outing saw them lose 2-0 at home to Huesca, a result underlined some lingering defensive issues, particularly against organised opponents who can control transitions.

From an attacking perspective, Cultural Leonesa have been steady rather than explosive, as they have averaged around one and a half goals per game over their last six matches, while conceding slightly fewer, pointing to a generally balanced profile.

Their ability to score multiple goals, as seen in recent cup and league wins, could prove decisive in a knockout setting where taking an early lead often shapes the contest.

In this season’s Copa del Rey, Cultural Leonesa began their campaign with confidence, progressing through the earlier round with a convincing attacking display.

Manager Cuco Ziganda has guided the team to a solid mid-table position in the Segunda Division and has also benefited from strong contributions in attack, particularly from Paco Cortes, who has already featured in cup action and offers a threat on the counter-attack.

There are no previous official competitive meetings between Cultural Leonesa and Levante, making this their first encounter in the Copa del Rey.

Levante, by contrast, come into this fixture struggling for form, especially in league competition. Across their last six matches in all competitions, they have managed just one win, which came in the Copa del Rey second round with a narrow 1-0 away victory over Cieza.

Their La Liga form has been particularly concerning, as Levante have lost their last five league matches, going down to Osasuna by two goals to nil, Athletic Club by the same scoreline, Valencia by a goal to nil, 1-3 against Atletico Madrid and Celta Vigo by two goals to one.

Levante have found goals hard to come by this season, with 16 scored in the league, while their defence has conceded 28. That imbalance has contributed heavily to their poor run of results.

The cup victory away at Cieza showed that Levante can still edge tight matches, but consistency has been lacking. Against a well-organised Cultural Leonesa side, small margins are again likely to be decisive.

In the Copa del Rey this season, Levante progressed thanks to that narrow second round win, but their league struggles suggest they will need a clear improvement in performance to advance further.

This tie offers Levante a chance to rebuild confidence ahead of a demanding second half of the season. Manager Julian Calero faces the challenge of stabilising results and finding solutions against compact defences, an issue that has plagued his side in recent league outings. The cup could yet provide a platform to reset their 2025-26 campaign.

Cultural Leonesa Copa dey Rey form:

Cultural Leonesa form (all competitions):

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Levante Copa dey Rey form:

Levante form (all competitions):

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Team News

Cultural Leonesa will be without a couple of players due to injury for this cup tie, as Rodrigo Suarez is unavailable through an unspecified issue and will not feature in the squad against Levante.

Ruben Sobrino is also ruled out due to injury and will miss the match, but Paco Cortes, on loan from Levante and one of Leonesa’s key attacking players this season with goals in both league and cup competition, is available and expected to be involved.

Karl Etta Eyong, Levante’s top scorer and attacking focal point, has been called up to the Cameroon national team for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and is expected to be absent for this match and several key fixtures thereafter.

He is set to join Cameroon’s squad from around 15 December, with FIFA’s updated AFCON call-up window restricting club availability.

In addition, a few Levante players are currently sidelined through injury, as Goduine Koyalipou, Roger Brugue and Unai Elgezabal are all expected to miss the tie.

Cultural Leonesa possible starting lineup:

Badia; Garcia, Barzic, Ribeiro, Hinojo; Ojeda, Bicho, Chacon; Pibe, Mboula, Justo

Levante possible starting lineup:

Ryan; Toljan, Cabello, Matturro, Sanchez; Alvarez, Vencedor, Arriaga, Losada; Romero, Garcia

We say: Cultural Leonesa 0-1 Levante

Despite missing their top goalscorer, Eyong, La Liga side Levante should still have enough in their arsenal to beat Cultural and a cup run could help lift their season.