Julen Lopetegui remains under pressure as Los Blancos look to end their winless run as La Liga returns
Real Madrid are bidding for their first La Liga win in nearly a month when they welcome Levante to the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.
Julen Lopetegui is already under pressure less than four months into the job in the Spanish capital after a run of four games without a win.
Two defeats before the international break to CSKA Moscow and Alaves only worked to swell the scrutiny on the boss.
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Levante, meanwhile, have won their last two games and are comfortably mid-table thanks to the goals of Jose Luis Morales and Roger Marti.
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial).
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In the United Kingdom (UK), the game can be watched live on TV on BT Sport 1 and it can be streamed live online using the BT Sport app.
Squads & Team News
Gareth Bale missed both of Wales’ internationals and has training alone in a bid to be fit for the game. Along with Karim Benzema and Toni Kroos, he finds himself on the bench.
Dani Carvajal is absent, while Alvaro Odriozola has been given the nod ahead of Nacho to replace him.
Real Madrid XI: Courtois; Odriozola, Varane, Ramos, Marcelo; Isco, Casemiro, Modric; Asensio, Mariano, Lucas.
Substitutes: Keylor Navas, Nacho, Kroos, Benzema, Bale, Reguilon, Ceballos
Armando Sadiku and Coke are both missing for the visitors, who have rung the changes from the loss to Espanyol. Striker Emmanuel Boateng is among those axed.
Possible Levante XI: Oier; Cabaco, Postigo, Rober, Tono; Jason, Campana, Rochina, Bardhi; Morales, Marti.
Substitutes : Aitor Fernandez, Doukoure, Chema, Simon, Pedro Lopez, Raphael, Boateng.
Betting & Match Odds
Real Madrid are 1/7 favourites to prevail according to bet356 . Levante are 18/1 and the draw is 75/2.
Click here to see more offers for the game, including goalscoring markets, correct score predictions and more.
Match Preview
Four games without a win – a run which included back-to-back defeats before the international break – has pilled pressure on Lopetegui.
President Florentino Perez’s itchy trigger finger means the coach’s position could become untenable if Real lose this weekend but the ex-Spain boss claims that he does not feel under pressure.
“I’m calm in this moment and focused on my work,” he said.
“I have full confidence in the squad that I have, I’m convinced of what we’re trying to do, there is a lot of the season left, and I’m sure that we’ll be strong at the end of the campaign.”
Levante boss Paco Lopez has jumped to the aid of his weekend opponent and feels Lopetegui has already done enough to earn a stay of execution.
“I understand perfectly how the world of football works,” he explained.
“We go from one extreme to another easily and all of us coaches understand it.
“We know that we are at risk to this type of situation.
“Julen Lopetegui has more than proved what a coach he is.”