Preview: Real Madrid vs. Levante

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti will be aware that three points are imperative against Levante on Sunday to ease the pressure on his role at the club.

Despite maintaining a top-two position throughout the campaign and reaching the Champions League quarter-finals, the club's fans have greeted their recent displays with jeers, with Gareth Bale one player who has been specifically targeted after a poor contribution in recent weeks.

Ancelotti has been backed by the club's hierarchy, but just 10 points from six league games have seen Real overtaken by Barcelona in the league table.

Last week's 1-0 defeat at Athletic Bilbao was followed by a 4-3 reverse at home to Schalke 04 in Europe, and a further setback this weekend would spark more unrest at the club.

Marcelo is likely to return at left-back in place of Fabio Coentrao, but Luka Modric is expected to remain on the substitutes' bench, despite making a successful return from a long-term thigh problem in midweek.

Defender Sergio Ramos and attacker James Rodriguez remain on the sidelines ahead of the game at the Bernabeu.

After a disappointing campaign, Levante have moved themselves out of the relegation zone in recent weeks with three victories from five matches.

Their recent triumphs have come against relegation rivals Granada and Eibar, and Lucas Alcaraz will be delighted with their response after going nine games without a win during the middle stages of the season.

However, all of their recent success has come at Ciutat de Valencia, with their last success on the road coming on September 24, a run spanning 10 matches.

The trio of Ivan Lopez, Papakouli Diop and Pedro Lopez won't feature at the weekend.

Real Madrid:

Form in La Liga: WLWWDL Form in all competitions: WWWDLL

Possible starting lineup: Casillas; Arbeloa, Pepe, Varane, Marcelo; Khedira, Isco, Kroos; Bale, Benzema, Ronaldo

Levante:

Recent form: LWLWLW

Possible starting lineup: Diego Marino, David Navarro, Ramis, Tono, Simao Junior, Xumetra, Ruben Garcia , Victor Camarasa, Uche, David Barral, Jose Luis Morales

Sports Mole says: 3-1