Preview: Osasuna vs. Levante - prediction, team news, lineups

Levante's battle to remain in La Liga will continue on Saturday evening when they make the trip to Estadio El Sadar to take on Osasuna.

The visitors are currently 20th in the table, six points from the safety of 17th position, while Osasuna occupy 11th position, 11 points clear of the bottom three heading into the next set of fixtures.

Match preview

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Osasuna have enjoyed a relatively strong campaign to date, winning nine, drawing eight and losing 11 of their 28 La Liga matches to collect 35 points, which has left them in 11th position in the table, 11 points clear of the bottom three and just two points behind ninth-placed Valencia.

Jagoba Arrasate's side have lost three of their last four in the league, though, including a 4-0 defeat at Barcelona last weekend, while they have also been beaten by Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad during a tough run of matches in Spain's top flight.

Osasuna's success this season has been built on a strong away record, with the club picking up 20 points from 14 matches, which is the sixth-best away record in Spain's top flight this term.

In contrast, Los Rojillos have found it difficult in front of their own supporters, claiming just 15 points from 14 matches, securing only three wins in the process, although they did record a 1-0 win over Villarreal in their last match at Estadio El Sadar.

Osasuna have also only lost one of their last five La Liga matches against Levante, but the points were shared in a goalless draw earlier this season.

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Levante are attempting to complete the great escape in La Liga this season, and they have given themselves a fighting chance of avoiding the drop due to their form in recent weeks.

Indeed, Alessio Lisci's side have won two, drawn two and lost one of their last five league matches, which has left them 20th in the table on 19 points, six points behind 17th-placed Granada on the same number of games.

Levante still have more than enough time to escape the bottom three, and they managed to come from behind to claim a point at home to Espanyol last time out, with Dani Gomez netting in the 80th minute of the contest.

The Frogs are in their fifth straight season at this level of football, so relegation back to the second tier would be a surprise, but they have not managed to win enough matches this season, picking up maximum points in just three of their 28 games at the top level of Spanish football.

Levante also have the second-worst away form in La Liga this season, picking up only six points from 13 matches, conceding 33 times in the process, which is the worst record in the division.

Team News

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Osasuna will be able to welcome back Ezequiel Avila into their squad this weekend following suspension, but Jesus Areso remains unavailable for selection due to a wrist problem.

Head coach Arrasate is expected to make changes from the side that started against Osasuna, with Aridane Hernandez, Roberto Torres and Darko Brasanac among those likely to come into the XI.

Ante Budimir could also feature in the final third of the field alongside Avila, but Ruben Garcia should retain his spot in a wide area for the home side.

As for Levante, Carlos Clerc, Jose Luis Morales and Shkodran Mustafi remain on the sidelines through injury, while Oscar Duarte and Jorge de Frutos will miss out with the problems that they suffered against Espanyol.

Ruben Vezo is expected to replace Duarte at the back, while De Frutos's absence could open the door for 21-year-old Alejandro Cantero to start in a forward area.

The away side's squad will be boosted by the return of Jorge Miramon, though, with the defender being forced to miss out against Espanyol through suspension.

Osasuna possible starting lineup:

Herrera; Vidal, Aridane, Cruz, Cote; Torres, Moncayola, Brasanac, R Garcia; Budimir, Avila

Levante possible starting lineup:

Cardenas; Rober, Vezo, Caceres; Miramon, Pepelu, Melero, Son; Cantero, Marti, Bardhi

We say: Osasuna 1-1 Levante

Levante desperately need wins at this stage of the season, but they have only been victorious once on their travels in the league this term. Osasuna's home record is one of the worst in Spain's top flight in 2021-22, though, so we have had to settle on a low-scoring draw here.